Kissing Cousins
by Ultrawoman
Summary: Rory and Jess were best friends, pretty much from birth. Their parents raised them like cousins until Liz and Jimmy moved away, tearing the kids apart. Now, years later, teenaged Jess is coming to visit, and teenaged Rory is in for a real surprise!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so here's a new idea for a Lit fic. It's a little bit different, so I would love to know what you think :)**

_**(Disclaimer: All recognisable characters from Gilmore Girls belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and other folks who aren't me.)**_

Chapter 1

"So, he's your cousin?"

"Well, sort of," said Rory, making a face.

"You can't have a sort of cousin, Gilmore-Danes," Paris reminded her. "You can have a second cousin, or maybe even a cousin-in-law, but there is no sort of cousin."

"I guess, technically, he would be my... step-cousin?" she tried, shaking her head. "I know that's not technically a real thing, but he's Luke's nephew, and Luke has been so much like a father to me. Plus his Grandpa William was also my Grandpa William, at least in name. It's a little complicated."

"So, you're not actually related?" said Louise, frowning some, but not half so much as Madeline who was clearly completely lost.

"Who is Luke again?"

"Her step-father, genius." Paris rolled her eyes. "The guy who runs the diner which you have been to several times? I can understand your confusion, the place is only named after him," she said, with no shortage of sarcasm.

"When did you last see this not-quite-a-cousin Jess anyway?" asked Louise then.

"Um, wow, it's been a lot of years," Rory said thoughtfully. "His parents moved to New York when we were maybe four, but even then, they would visit sometimes, at least until Uncle Jimmy - Jess' dad - got itchy feet and wanted them to start travelling more. I'm pretty sure the last time any of them were in Stars Hollow was when we were maybe nine?"

"So, you have no idea if he's gotten hot?" asked Louise, one perfectly tweezed eyebrow raised.

"Eww!" Rory recoiled. "He's my cousin."

"We just established that he's actually not," Paris reminded her, rolling her eyes one more time. "So, he's coming here for the summer?"

"Part of it, I think." Rory nodded, eyeing Louise with distaste still before finally looking at Paris again. "I'm not sure that the plans are really set yet. Luke only got the call last night, asking if Jess could come stay a while. Which reminds me, I won't be able to make the extra council meeting this Saturday. I'm helping Luke air out the diner apartment and get it set up for when Jess comes to stay."

"He can't stay in your house?" asked Madeline curiously.

"We only have three bedrooms." Rory shook her head. "Besides, I'm guessing he'll probably want his own space. From what Luke said, as much as he wants to see us all again, one of Jess' main reasons for coming is to get away from it all."

"But you said he lives in LA," said Louise.

"Yup, Venice Beach."

"Who on Earth would want to escape from a place like that?"

* * *

"I saw you, Jimmy! I have eyes in my head and I am not stupid, despite what you think. I saw you talking to her!"

"Yes, I was talking. Talking is not a crime. It's not an adulterous act, Liz! Seriously, you're getting beyond paranoid here."

"Well, maybe if you stopped giving me reasons to be paranoid, I wouldn't be!"

"Maybe if you hadn't started smoking so much again, you wouldn't be!"

Jess winced as the door slammed loud enough to shake the whole house. The number of fights his parents were having lately was getting beyond ridiculous. In the beginning, he had tried to play peacemaker, but that never ended well, and nine times out of ten, he just became a pawn that Jimmy and Liz could use against each other. Now, he just avoided them whenever they were like this, going out altogether when he could, or hiding out in the safety of his room.

It didn't matter so much to him if they fought, even if they ended up divorced or whatever. He was eighteen years old, two weeks away from graduating, and thankfully, able to pass his finals without the need for too much studying. In this atmosphere it would've been impossible anyway. His real concern lie completely with someone else.

"They're doing it again" she said from the doorway.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Jess rolled his eyes, even though all she could see from there was his back. "You coming in or going out, because I prefer my door closed."

"In," she said, closing the door behind her and padding over to the desk where he was sat. "Why can't they just break up like everybody else's parents?" she said with a sigh, even as she tried to read over Jess' shoulder. "I could handle one week here, one week there stuff. It'd be better than this."

"Tell me about it." Jess sighed too, hiding his legal pad from her sight. "I'm sorry about all this crap, kiddo," he said then, turning to look at her. "I wish I could do something about it but sometimes I think they're the kids instead of us."

"Whatever. It's not your fault."

"You are seriously the most jaded eight-year-old in the world, Tues," he said, ruffling her hair.

She made a face and looked a little too much like Liz. Jess wished he could do something about that too, but unfortunately not. Sadly, what he said about his little sister being jaded was true enough. Where Jess had at least had seemingly happy parents for the first few years of his life, plus regular contact with a decent grandfather, uncle, aunt, cousin, and a whole town full of friendly folks who wanted only the best for him, Tuesday Mariano had been mostly raised in tension and sniping, that lately had become all-but daily warfare. It didn't mean that Liz and Jimmy didn't love their kids, or that Jess and Tuesday didn't love them, but things were getting worse rather than better, and as far as Jess was concerned, it was time for a change.

"So, I guess it's about time I told you the plan," he said then, making a snap decision that had been rolling around in his brain too long. "You know what happens in two weeks?"

"You graduate high school," said Tuesday easily. "And then you go visit Uncle Luke, who I've never met, and leave me here with the crazies."

"Hey, come on, that's not cool," Jess told her firmly, even though he knew she had a point. "Anyway, about the whole leaving you here part, what if I don't? What if I take you to Connecticut with me?"

Tuesday's eyes went so wide, Jess would've sworn they were going to roll clean out of her head.

"Are you serious?" she checked. "Like, seriously serious?"

"Seriously serious," Jess confirmed, smirking a little at the phrasing. "But there is one condition on this," he said then, finger raised to illustrate his point. "You cannot, under any circumstances, tell Liz or Jimmy or anyone else about this, okay? This is our secret until it's time to leave, and then you let me do the talking. You got it?"

Tuesday nodded solemnly, silently crossing her heart for good measure.

"Okay, let's shake on it," said Jess, holding out his hand.

It was no surprise to see the smile return to Tuesday's face as they went through the routine of their 'secret handshake' and then she was flinging herself at Jess for the biggest hug ever.

"I can't wait to go to Stars Hollow," she said happily, bouncing around in his embrace. "You always make it sounds so magical and amazing!"

Jess laughed at that, he couldn't help it. He wasn't entirely sure what it was about his time in the Hollow that sounded so incredible to Tues. All he did know was that anything was better than what passed for home right now, for both of them.

* * *

"Will, honey, can you bring down your laundry for me?" Lorelai called up the stairs.

"Two pages!" he yelled back and his mother smiled.

"Okay, in two pages, please bring down the laundry, or you're going to have to walk around in whatever's clean. At this point, we might be down to Halloween costumes and the sweater your grandma picked out last Christmas."

Lorelai headed back to the kitchen and continued sorting whites from coloureds. True to his word, her son came rushing down shortly after with another bundle of clothes to be added to the two piles.

"You finish the chapter?"

"Uh-huh." Will nodded madly. "The girl went into the haunted house, and because her friend came out and said he was messing with her, she thinks it's safe, but neither of them knows what's lurking in the shadows!" he said, with way too much glee.

"Ugh, how can you read that stuff and not get nightmares?" asked Lorelai shuddering. "I swear, I don't know what happened to your natural fear gene."

"Dad says that there's nothing to be afraid of. They're just stories." Will shrugged. "If it's not real, how can you be scared of it?"

"When you're older, I'll show you some movies that'll make my point for me," she said with a look. "In the meantime, you wanna help Mommy out by shoving some of this stuff in the machine?"

Will dutifully took a bundle of all whites outside of the back door to shove into the washer/dryer. He really was such a good kid and Lorelai never once regretted having him, even if she had been wary when she fell pregnant the second time. It wasn't that she and Luke weren't happy together and totally committed. They had been married a year by then, having waited probably too long to make things official between them.

Rory already looked to Luke like a father, pretty much from Day One, even though she knew Christopher held the real title. There had been no doubt in Lorelai's mind that Luke would stand by her and be happy to raise a kid of their own too, and to his credit, he never once treated their son as if he mattered more than Rory. In Luke's eyes, they were both his children and he adored them equally.

"Mom?"

"Hey, sweets," she called towards the front door when she heard her daughter come in. "Things going okay over at the diner?" she checked as Rory came into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I think so," she agreed, nodding her head. "It's so stuffy up there, and we had a lot of stock to move downstairs, but it's starting to smell fresher and look more homely again now," she explained, smiling. "It's so weird, I know Jess is the same age as me, but when I picture him in my head, he's still a kid, pretty much Will's age."

"Well, that's because we haven't seen him in so long," Lorelai agreed. "Speaking of your brother-" The back door opened before she could say anymore and Will wandered back in. "Hey, slugger. I was starting to think you fell in with the laundry."

"Babette was outside," he explained. "She wanted to know if what she heard was true, about Cousin Jess coming to visit."

"Ah, the jungle drums of Stars Hollow beat forever true." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"It's not like it was a secret, I guess." Rory shrugged. "Besides, you know everyone will be happy to see Jess again... except maybe for Taylor," she added, just as her mom said the same thing.

"Mr Doose doesn't like anybody, does he?" asked Will, making a face.

"Not a lot of people, hon, no," his mom confirmed, "but that's okay, because we're going to make Cousin Jess really welcome, huh?"

"Sure." Will shrugged. "Can I go back to my book now?"

"Yes, you can," Lorelai confirmed, shaking her head but smiling as she watched him literally run away. "I swear, I have no idea how I produced two bookaholic kids. Neither of your fathers are big reading types and I'm certainly not, so how did that happen?"

"With me, I think it was just a fluke, but Will may have been my influence. Sorry," Rory apologised, moving to help her mom with gathering up some fallen items of laundry and putting them back on the table.

"Hey, what would I rather have, a nine-year-old son that begs me to let him go read some more, or a nine-year-old son that wants to shoot people's heads off in video games all day? I got the good deal, my friend, and I know it."

Rory smiled at that. "I guess I can't blame him for not being super-excited about Jess coming to visit. I mean, he was just a baby the last time."

"Still seems crazy to me that it's been so long since Liz and Jimmy last came here, but California is a long way for a visit, expensive too, and we haven't exactly been over there either. You and Will have another cousin that you've never even met, which makes me a little sad."

"Well, someday we'll make that happen," Rory said definitely. "In the meantime, I have to admit, I am really looking forward to seeing Jess again. It has been way too long!"

_To Be Continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, wow, I was not expecting that reaction! lol Thanks to everyone who left a review - so many of you are so excited about this idea and that is great. To those that asked, yes, this is a sequel to 'Baby Daddy,' however, if you're reading this but never read that story, please don't run away! I'm hoping to write this in such a way that you don't need that background if you haven't or don't want to read a pure L/L fic :)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 2

Jess honestly wasn't sure how this whole thing was going to play out. It might've been easier if Liz and Jimmy weren't actually trying so hard to get along today - their success level was variable at best, but at least they were trying. It seemed they both thought their son's graduation was a good reason to give it their best shot at looking like a happy couple and the perfect parents. It was definitely going to make it harder to tell them the truth about his trip to Stars Hollow, but sometimes the tough things just had to be done.

The bags were packed already, all of Jess' own plus Tuesday's too, which had been the harder part. Still, with Liz often more than a little stoned recently and Jimmy out of the house as much as he could be to avoid getting involved in any more fights than he had to, it hadn't been so bad. Now was the moment of truth, and even though it was his plan, Jess was not looking forward to the fall-out.

"So, I know we talked about me heading for Stars Hollow this weekend," he said as they got back home after the ceremony, "but, uh, I could get a cheaper ticket if I went sooner, so I'm leaving tonight."

"You're what, now?" Liz asked, eyes wide. "Jess, you can't just leave tonight. We were gonna have dinner, celebrate your graduation, as a family."

Jess closed his eyes and forced the anger down. When he opened them again, he saw Tuesday staring at him and nodded his head in the signal for her to go. She rushed off to her room without a moment's pause.

"Jess, c'mon, buddy," said Jimmy, his hand on his son's shoulder. "We're making an effort here."

"Today, sure," Jess agreed. "You're both making an effort _today_, God knows why, because you don't usually bother," he said, rounding on both his parents and continuing on before they had a chance to argue. "You know, I can handle you guys being the way you are. I'm eighteen, I'm raised, I can take care of myself, but do you have any idea what this is doing to Tuesday? What living in this atmosphere is doing to the both of us?"

"Jess, will you just keep your voice down. I don't want half the street knowin' our business," said Liz with a look.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked her, laughing painfully. "Have you heard yourself when the two of you are fighting? Screw the neighbours, they can hear you three counties over," he insisted. "I don't know exactly what it is with you two lately, but you need to figure it out, and we need to not be here while you do."

"We?" Jimmy echoed. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, me and Tuesday," said Jess, his voice a little calmer now. "She wants to come with me to Stars Hollow for vacation and... and I'm taking her with me."

"Like hell you are!" Liz yelled at him.

Jess didn't even flinch. "I don't wanna fight with you on this, okay? I'm sick of all the damn fighting in this house. You never used to be this way, either of you. I remember. I wish Tues could too, but she can't. All she really knows is you two tearing into each other all of the time. She's just a kid, she deserves better than that."

Tuesday appeared in the doorway then, dragging her luggage behind her, a pink case on wheels with Hello Kitty on it, and a duffle bag on her shoulder that seemed to dwarf her somehow, even though she was tall for her age.

"Oh, baby," said Liz, rushing to her daughter and crouching down to her height. "Mommy and Daddy are sorry for all the yelling and stuff," she said definitely. "We'll stop, I swear."

Tuesday swallowed hard and shook her head. "You say that but you never do."

Jess let out a sigh and turned his gaze to Jimmy, hoping he could appeal to the slightly more stable half of the parenting team. Not that they were much of a team anymore, but still. Liz was the one who got crazy more often than not, with or without a smoke to assist her. Jimmy got mad about things, but he also had a habit of seeing sense when it was laid out in front of him.

"You'll take good care of your sister while you're gone," he said, a statement, not a question or a request as he stared at Jess.

"I always take care of her," he replied, the words coming out a little more accusatory and bitter than he had really meant for them to, but it was done now and he couldn't take it back.

"Okay." Jimmy nodded once.

"Okay?" Liz echoed, voice rising as she went on. "This is not okay! They can't just go!"

Her eyes went to Jimmy then Jess and followed him as he moved by her through the door and headed for his room. He returned a few moments later with his luggage and then grabbed Tuesday's case to help her out.

"The cab is booked for two, it'll be here any minute," he said, hustling towards the door. "You okay, Tues?" he checked in with his sister, who nodded her head, even as tears filled her eyes. "You don't have to go if you don't want to," he reminded her. "It's your choice."

It was a lot to put on an eight-year-old, asking her to decide between her parents and her brother, even if it was just for one summer. Jess wasn't sure yet whether that was all it really was, but he sort of hoped so, for Tuesday's sake, if nothing else. He watched her expression as she tried to make the most grown up decision of her young life.

"I'm coming with you," she said bravely, even as she threw her arms around Liz's neck and hugged her tight. "I love you, Mommy."

"Oh, I love you too, baby girl," she promised, squeezing her close.

Jimmy moved to hug his daughter next as they too shared 'I love yous'. Liz got to her feet, wiping tears from her cheeks with the backs of her hands. She looked to Jess and slowly shook her head.

"You grew up so fast," she said in apparent wonder.

"I had to," Jess reminded her, giving in a second later as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you soon."

He and Jimmy only shared a nod of the head and the smallest smile before Jess headed out the door with Tuesday on his heels. Neither of the Mariano kids could bear to look back.

* * *

"So, is it true that Jess Mariano is coming to visit?" asked Miss Patty, watching the coffee as it flowed into her cup.

"Yes, it is true," Rory assured both her and Babette as she moved to fill her cup too. "Mom and Luke are at the airport right now picking him up."

"You didn't wanna go along, sugar?" Babette asked in surprise. "You and that kid were always so close when you were little, and so cute running around together whenever he'd come to visit."

"I remember them before he moved away." Miss Patty sighed. "Your mothers walking down the street side by side with the strollers. You know, you two would hold hands and just cry and cry if you had to be parted."

Rory smiled at the story that she had been told many times before, not that she remembered quite that far back. She was clearer on the times when Aunt Liz and Uncle Jimmy would bring Jess for a visit from New York, fun times catching up and talking about books and such. Jess had been her best friend in those days and she missed him terribly when he stopped being able to come see her. They wrote for a little while, but then Jess' address changed so regularly and they both made new friends. Sometimes Rory regretted that they hadn't stayed in touch more, but she figured she could make up for it soon. She was really looking forward to seeing Jess again.

"I said I'd cover the diner and let Luke and Mom do the airport thing," she said then, shaking her head clear of misty memories. "Actually, I was supposed to be watching Will, and Mom was on diner duty, but then he arranged to go to a friend's house so here I am." She shrugged easily. "I don't mind, I've always liked helping out here."

"I remember when you were just a little kid and the diner opened on your birthday," Babette grinned. "You were such a cutie, you thought this place was your gift."

"Wanna know a secret, ladies, I still think that." Rory smiled. "I mean, it is Luke's, obviously, but it is always a gift to get to come to a place where everyone in town likes to hang out, right?"

Just as Miss Patty and Babette were getting deep into commending her for her wonderful community spirit and excellent attitude, the bell rang over the door and Rory looked past the gossiping ladies to see who was there. She grinned as she realised it was Luke and her mom, at least until she saw the stony expressions the two of them were wearing.

"Mom?" she checked as Luke headed straight for the curtain and up the stairs without saying a word, a case in one hand and two bags in the other. "What's going on?"

"Jess wasn't the only one waiting at arrivals," said Lorelai awkwardly right before two more people walked in through the diner door.

Rory was a little stunned by the guy who looked directly at her, all smouldering dark eyes and a good-looking face. At least until she realised she kind of recognised that face.

"Oh my God!" she gasped with shock. "Jess?"

"Rory?" he checked, looking slightly dazed. "Hey, it's... it's been a while."

"It really has," she agreed, rushing out from behind the counter to hug him.

He hugged her back for a second or two and then Rory's eyes landed on a girl stood about two feet away, staring at her with eyes she recognised. Pulling back from Jess, she looked between them and shook her head in confusion.

"Rory Gilmore, Tuesday Mariano," he introduced.

"Yup, we got a two for one deal on Marianos at the airport," said Lorelai smartly. "Didn't see that coming, did ya?"

"Uh, no." Rory shook her head some more. "Hi, Tuesday," she said, shifting awkwardly like she wasn't sure whether it was okay to hug her too or not.

"She's not so much with the touchy-feely stuff," Jess explained, clearly understanding her problem. "Uh, I think Luke is probably waiting on us," he said then, gesturing for Tuesday to walk ahead of him towards the curtain. "We'll catch up," he told Rory with a brief smile and then he was gone.

Rory let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, even as her own voice screamed inside her head to stop being crazy and gross. Jess was her cousin, okay, not by blood, but still, her cousin in all the ways that mattered. She should not be thinking what she was thinking, that was for sure.

"Kind of a shock, huh?" said Lorelai, causing Rory to turn wide and panicked eyes on her. "I mean, Jess just bringing his kid sister like that? From what he said, things with Liz and Jimmy are not good. Luke's pretty worked up about it. I should probably get up there."

"Uh-huh." Rory nodded, feeling dazed yet. "Um, I got things down here, and Will's sleeping over at Michael's right?"

"That's what I agreed with Michael's mom." Lorelai nodded. "You okay, babe? You look a little flushed."

"Yeah, sure," Rory assured her. "Just busy, busy, busy," she said, gesturing to the diner and its many patrons in general. "In fact, I should get back to work and you're probably needed up there, like you said."

"Probably," Lorelai agreed, heading for the curtain.

She turned back for a moment before going on up the stairs, watching Rory for a few seconds. She seemed okay now, normal for the most part, as far as Lorelai could tell. It was probably all just excitement at seeing Jess again and meeting her other cousin too. What else could it possibly be?

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: There is so much background involved in this story (jumping from kids of seven to teens of eighteen requires some explanation! lol) especially for the people who never read 'Baby Daddy', so it may take a little while for anything major to happen with Rory & Jess, but trust me, folks, we will get there ;) In the meantime, thanks so much for all the fabulous feedback. Now, on we go!**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 3

"Rory!" Lane yelled, barrelling down the street.

"Hey, I didn't think you were going to get out today," said her friend as she finally caught up to her. "Last I heard, Mrs Kim still had you under house arrest for Prom."

"It's more a very strict limitation on when I can go out and where I can go to," Lane considered, looping her arm through Rory's own. "If anyone asks, you never saw me, but I had to talk to you. I was at the window when Luke and Lorelai got back from the airport."

"You saw Jess?" Rory checked.

"Yes, and the kid he brought with him," Lane confirmed. "Was that his sister?"

"Yup, that was Tuesday."

"I still give Liz and Jimmy props for the name. Very cool. Did you know she was coming along?"

"No, that's the weird part. It seems like Jess had been planning to bring her this whole time," Rory explained, paraphrasing from what Lorelai had told her. "Apparently, Aunt Liz and Uncle Jimmy have been fighting a lot lately and Jess didn't like to leave Tuesday there to deal with it all on her own."

"Wow, he's a good brother." Lane nodded. "And speaking of good things about Jess, how hot did he get while he was gone?"

"What?" Rory said sharply. "I mean, I'm not going to notice that, he's my cousin," she said, turning her face away.

"Well, yeah, I know, he's kind of your cousin, in a you-were-raised-that-way-as-kids kind of way, but not by blood," Lane reminded her. "Well, maybe that's why you don't see it, but trust me, the years have been kind to Jess Mariano. Obviously, I am completed committed to Dave, but I can appreciate good looks on a man and Jess has them in spades."

Rory was aware that Lane was still talking but she wasn't at all comfortable with listening to the words or responding to them either. Rory couldn't think that Jess was attractive, not that way. He was her cousin, and while she knew it wasn't a blood connection, he was her family. If he wasn't, then that meant she was counting Luke and Liz and Jimmy as less than she had always seen them, not to mention dearly departed Grandpa William. Rory couldn't bring herself to cast the majority of her family members to one side that way. She just wouldn't do it.

"So, are they both staying in the diner apartment?" Lane asked just as Rory tuned back in. "Jess and Tuesday?" she prompted when she didn't get an answer right away.

"Uh, yeah." Rory nodded. "It was already set up for Jess to stay there. Luke has Will's old bed in storage so he's going to pull that out for Tuesday, and Mom was on the hunt for blankets and stuff last I saw her. I've pretty much been working in the diner all day."

"Great start to the summer break, huh?" Lane sighed. "Well, you've had a more interesting day than me, at least. I'm not going to see any fun until Mama decides I've paid the price for Prom, and Dave gets back from his family vacation."

"How long is he away for?"

"A month," said Lane sadly. "Two weeks with his grandparents and another two at the beach, probably having a wonderful time, far away from me."

"I guarantee Dave is missing you just as much as you're missing him," said Rory firmly. "You know he loves you."

"It is nice to be loved." Lane grinned. "Well, I should get back inside," she said as they arrived in front of the antique store. "Call me and let me know if there are any more interesting developments in the Mariano family saga!" she said, rushing up the porch steps.

Rory smiled as she watched her friend go but that expression soon faded. She wasn't sure exactly what she had been expecting when Jess came to visit this summer, but so far, this wasn't it at all. She never thought he would be bringing his sister along for the trip, not that she minded, but it was a definite surprise. Then there was the point Lane had made about how well Jess had grown up.

"He's your cousin, and even if he wasn't, he's not _that_ hot," she muttered to herself, trudging determinedly towards home. "Ugh, who am I trying to kid?"

* * *

"Why do you call your house the Crap Shack?"

Rory had to admit that was a valid question when Tuesday asked it, and looked to her mom to give an explanation as best she could. Lorelai floundered a little, maybe because she felt a little silly about the unofficial name of their home, though Rory suspected what she really wanted to do was advise Tuesday on her choice of language. Pretty tough since she wasn't her kid.

"Um, well, basically, we couldn't think of anything better," she said eventually. "Imagination isn't exactly my strong point or your Uncle Luke's either, and Rory was only seven when we moved here, and hugely obsessed with a certain series of books, so unless we wanted to call the place something really wild like 'Tashbaan' or 'Bism' she wasn't much use either."

Tuesday frowned and looked to her brother.

"_Chronicles of Narnia_," he said, barely glancing up from his plate.

"Huh." His sister nodded once then went back to her food too.

Silence came over the table once more. Lorelai looked to her husband and found him still wearing a sour expression. She glanced at Rory next who seemed extremely focused on her plate. That just left her to keep the conversation flowing then.

"So, Tuesday, must be pretty weird for you being so far from home, huh? Probably a little chilly compared to California too."

"I'm fine, thanks," she told Lorelai, concentrating on wrapping spaghetti around her fork.

"I think it's weirder for me than it is for her," said Jess, at least trying to make an effort it seemed. "Seeing Stars Hollow after so long, it's crazy how much is still the same. Seriously though, did we always have so many ceramic unicorn stores?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure when they kind of increased exponentially," Lorelai considered. "Clearly since you stop visiting."

"I never came here, right?" asked Tuesday. "Not even when I was a baby."

"No, your parents were long gone by then," Luke grumbled. "Decided the other side of the country was a great place to raise their kids, far, far away from us. Well, that worked out real well, didn't it?"

"Luke," said Lorelai with a warning look.

She did understand what he was feeling but now so wasn't the time, not in front of Tuesday. After all, Jess had explained, mostly in whispered tones while his kid sister was in the bathroom, that the main reason he brought her along was because he was worried about what all the parental fighting was doing to her. The last thing they needed was an argument at the dinner table on her first night in a new place.

"I'm gonna start on the dishes," said Luke then, moving to take his plate and Rory's too since she had clearly finished.

"You want help?" she offered.

"It's okay, sweets, I'll go," Lorelai assured her, patting her daughter's hand.

"Can I watch TV?" asked Tuesday then, dropping her fork and assuming she could be excused if everybody else was.

"Is that cool?" Jess asked Rory.

"Oh, of course. Go, help yourself," she told Tuesday easily, smiling as she watched her rush to the couch and make herself comfortable. "I can't believe that. I mean, she's almost as old as Will, I knew that, and yet in my head, I always pictured a baby. I guess that's because most of the photographs we have of her are from back then."

"Probably," Jess agreed, nodding his head. "Liz is not great at keeping up with anything anymore, least of all checking in with the relatives."

"When did you start calling your mom Liz?" asked Rory frowning a little.

"Around the time she stopped acting like a mom," Jess snapped, catching himself when he saw the startled look he caused on Rory's face. "Sorry. I didn't... It's like a reflex lately. The atmosphere at home is not the best."

"I figured that part out, you know, from what Mom told me, and from the fact you brought Tuesday here with you," she said, nodding her head. "It's so stupid, I sort of had this idea in my head that when you came to visit it'd be like it was before. I mean, how ridiculous is that? The last time you were here we were, what? Nine?"

"Yeah, I think so," Jess agreed, smiling at the memory. "Geez, it feels like a lifetime ago."

"Half our lives, more or less," said Rory thoughtfully. "I think we're past the scavenger hunts and board games stage by now. Well, I still do that stuff with Will sometimes. You'll meet him tomorrow, or re-meet him, I guess. He's staying over at a friend's house tonight."

"Lorelai mentioned. He was literally a baby last time I was here."

"A baby you were terrified to hold if I remember correctly." Rory smirked.

"Hey, I never held a kid before. I just kept on remembering the time I broke that ornament that Aunt Lorelai loved so much and thinking how she'd probably be even more mad at me if I broke her baby."

Rory laughed at how ridiculous that sounded and was glad to realise Jess was doing the same. He had a great laugh, and eyes she could stare at all day, and... Rory caught herself mid-thought and the laughter died in her mouth. She cleared her throat and took a long drink from her glass.

"You okay?" Jess checked.

"Mm-hmm," she said, still swallowing down water. "I'm fine," she promised when she was done. "You know, I'm sorry to hear Aunt Liz and Uncle Jimmy are having problems," she said then, feeling that if she just kept talking about her family in those terms her mind wouldn't allow itself to wander. "They always seemed so happy when we were kids."

"They were, as far as I knew anyway." Jess sighed. "I don't know, California was supposed to be the dream, the place where we settled after all the moving around, and everything was meant to be perfect, especially when Tues came along," he explained, keeping his voice down, mindful of what his little sister might hear and be upset by. "I don't really know what happened. The fights just got worse, and Liz would go out and not come home, then Jimmy would sulk about it. That'd cause another fight, and around and around again."

"I'm sorry," said Rory, her hand landing on his arm without her really thinking about it. "At least you both get a break from that for as long as you're here. Mom and Luke almost never fight, if that helps," she said with a smile.

"I feel like my showing up here with Tues without even warning them has put a strain on everything," said Jess, rubbing his forehead like he felt a headache coming on. "I just couldn't see another way to handle this."

"It'll be fine," Rory assured him. "Luke's probably more angry with your mom for upsetting you guys than he is with you."

"Maybe."

"Hey, even if he is mad at you, it won't last. I'll make sure of that. Like my mom always says, you'd be amazed what a girl can do with a pout and some good blue eyes."

Jess smiled at the joke, his hand landing on Rory's own at his arm. "Thanks, Rory. You know, it's weird, what you said about thinking of Tues as a baby. Crazy as it sounds, until I saw you again, I was still picturing you like the last time we met."

"I guess we've both changed a lot in nine years," she said, feeling strange as his hand squeezed hers, his dark eyes fixed on her blue ones. "Um, but I hope we're still friends. I would hate to think that changed."

"I don't think it has," Jess promised her. "You know, even though I've been here before, I never pictured you in this house either. My mind always goes way back to Grandpa William's place."

It was a relief to Rory when Jess looked around the room rather than right at her, his hand slipping away too as he leaned back in his chair.

"Is it weird seeing other people living there?" he asked, and it took a moment for Rory's brain to catch up with what he was saying.

"Oh, Grandpa William's house? Yeah, it's still weird, even after all this time," she admitted. "I still miss him too, just little things, like the way he laughed, and how somehow he always smelled a little like wood and paint, even when he hadn't been in the hardware store all day."

"Wow, I'd almost forgotten that, but you're right, he did." Jess smiled.

It was a really good smile, Rory thought, immediately mentally smacking herself for the thought. Thankfully, before she could go ahead and make a fool of herself, Tuesday called to Jess and he excused himself to go see what she wanted. Rory sat alone at the table and put her head in her hands a moment. Even sitting there reminiscing about their childhood together, about the grandfather that they shared, and she was noticing how attractive Jess was?

"I am sick," she told herself, standing up to clear the last few things off the table and take them through to the kitchen. "Sick and twisted."

"You say something, hon?" Lorelai asked her as she came through the kitchen door.

"Um, no. Just bringing the rest of the dishes," she said, pushing them onto the counter. "I'm feeling a little tired, I think I'm just gonna go to bed."

"At eight o'clock?" Lorelai checked.

"You sure you're feeling okay, Rory?" Luke asked, wiping his hands on the dishtowel as he came to look at her. "You do look kind of... green," he noted.

"It's just been a big day. Big week, I guess," she amended, finding a smile. "I'll be fine," she promised, slipping away into her bedroom and closing the door.

Luke and Lorelai shared a look of concern but said nothing more for now.

_To Be Continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to those who left reviews on the precious chapter. I'm aware that this fic is very Rory POV so far, ****but**** next chapter I plan to introduce Jess' thoughts on what might be between him and his 'cousin' ;) In the meantime, some charmingly awkward Rory & Jess for you all and a little of the good old-fashioned Luke/Lorelai love too ;)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 4

Rory couldn't mind so much that Will and Tuesday really hit it off. They had more in common than anyone might have suspected. Sure, he was more of a reader than she was, while she tended more towards drawing and art in general, but they seemed more than willing to get involved in each other's interests, and apparently, they both loved the same cartoons on TV. It was nice to see them so happy spending time together, and yet, it presented a problem. With the younger cousins completely occupied, it left the older cousins alone together.

It was how Rory wanted it to be when she first heard Jess was coming to visit. Lots of time for the two of them to catch up and reaffirm a friendship that had all too easily slipped away. Things were very different now that Jess was actually there, very much in Rory's personal space, looking the way he did, being all kinds of charming and attractive. It was very, very bad, especially when Lorelai said she was working from home today, so if 'the kids' wanted to go out, she didn't mind.

"You wanna take a walk?" Jess asked Rory. "You can reintroduce me to the Hollow."

"Sure," she agreed, since she couldn't think of an excuse not to.

It was how they had come to be wandering through the less central parts of town, Rory pointing out the occasional change that had occurred over the years (there were not that many) and talking in general, at her usual mile-a-minute and then some. When she finally stopped for breath she found Jess smiling in amusement.

"I think I forgot how fast you talk," he said when she looked at him. "It is pretty amazing."

"Sorry," she said, ducking her head.

"It's no problem. It's nice, actually. Weirdly familiar," Jess noted. "You wouldn't be Rory Gilmore if you talked any slower."

"Rory Gilmore-_Danes_," she corrected him, though it was more for her own benefit than Jess' own - a reminder of their family connections could only help in the circumstances.

"Right, of course." Jess nodded. "Did I ever tell you how cool I think it is that you did that?"

"It's what Mom and Luke decided they wanted to do." Rory shrugged like it was no big deal, just as they turned the corner towards the lake.

"Yeah, for them, but your name was your choice, right? I mean, Aunt Lorelai is not the type to make you take a name you don't want."

"Luke has been way more of a father to me than my real dad ever has, especially since Christopher got married and had another daughter. I don't blame Sherry or GG, it's not their fault. I guess it's just easier for him to stay away, and honestly, it's easier for me too."

They wandered out across the lake, stopping at the centre of the bridge and sitting down together.

"I definitely remember this place." Jess smiled, letting his legs dangle over the edge, his feet almost touching the water.

Rory smiled back because she remembered too. "That was a crazy day. I'm still not sure how you even managed to fall in."

"Me either, but Luke was pretty amazing, just diving in and fishing me out like that."

"He looked like a superhero or something," Rory recalled. "I was so scared that you were gonna drown before he got you out," she said, shaking her head. "I had never seen you cry so hard as you did when you realised your book was ruined."

Jess laughed and covered his face with his hand. "Oh God, I remember that. Everybody else is freaking out because I could've died and all I can think is, 'I'll never know if Mr Fox got away with it,'" he said, still smiling at how dumb that now seemed. "Wow, that is as clear to me as if it happened yesterday."

"And yet it's over ten years already." Rory sighed. "It's still crazy to me that a couple of months from now I'll be heading off to college. I'm still not exactly sure I'm ready for that."

"Where are you headed?" asked Jess, tilting his head as he looked at her.

"Harvard," Rory admitted, amused by the way his eyes went wide.

"Wow. That's big."

"It is." Rory nodded. "It was always the dream, but these things are never guaranteed. It was a real celebration when I got in. What about you?" she asked then, wondering why Jess was suddenly looking elsewhere.

"Uh, yeah. I got into Stanford," he admitted eventually.

"That's incredible, Jess."

"Yeah, I guess," he agreed, nodding his head. "I, uh... I also got into Yale."

Now it was Rory's turn to have the wide eyes and she knew it too.

"Yale? As in 20 miles from Stars Hollow, Yale?"

"I don't think there's another one." Jess smirked as he glanced her way again. "I'm not even sure what I was thinking when I applied," he told her, "or maybe I know exactly."

Rory wasn't sure if she was supposed to ask or wait for him to explain himself. To be fair, she could probably come to her own conclusions and they would likely be correct. Jess wanted to escape from the situation at home, it was why he had come to Stars Hollow this summer and why he had brought Tuesday with him, to get her away from all the parental badness too. Of course, now Rory realised there was a chance Jess was here with plans to stick around, if he was serious about Yale, of course.

"Do you...? Uh, did you accept either place?" she asked when the silence became uncomfortable.

Slowly, Jess nodded his head. "I did. I accepted Yale."

"Wow."

He was smirking again and Rory almost wondered what the joke was.

"Y'know, you're the first person I've told about this?" he said, meeting her eyes. "Not even Tues knows yet. I honestly didn't plan to tell you..."

"Oh," said Rory, swallowing hard from the way he was looking at her now. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have. Not that I can't keep a secret but-"

"I know that you can," he told her fast. "I trust you, Rory. Always did, always will," he promised her, his hand covering hers right there, in the space between her leg and his, on the bridge's edge.

Rory stopped breathing at the contact but forced air through her lungs in the next second. She had to look elsewhere in order to manage it, and it still took a minute before she trusted her voice enough to speak again.

"So, I guess you'll be hanging around longer than just a couple of weeks, huh?" she asked, unsure which answer she wanted to that.

"I guess so."

"What about Tuesday?" she asked, sure she looked as confused as she felt when she finally glanced Jess' way again.

"I have no idea," he admitted, shaking his head and looking pained. "I'm sorry, is it cool if we don't talk about all this right now?"

"Sure," Rory agreed immediately. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he promised her, squeezing her hand one more time before shifting to lie down on the bridge.

He stared up at Rory until she finally followed his lead and joined him, their arms and heads both so close they were almost touching, as the sun shone down on them with a gentle warmth. All was peace and quiet at the lake, nothing to worry about, nothing to talk about if they didn't want to.

"This is nice," said Jess with a sigh.

"Yeah, it's nice," Rory agreed, even though her nerves were jangling in just about every part of her body.

It was nice. Very nice. Too nice, she told herself as Jess shifted a little beside her and her whole arm tingled at the sensation of just his sleeve moving against her own. This summer was absolutely going to be the death of her.

* * *

"I can't really explain it, it's just the last couple of days since Jess and Tuesday got here, she's been... weird."

"Weird?" Luke echoed, turning from the stove to shoot Lorelai a look. "Rory is like you, kind of eccentric sometimes, but in a good way. She is not weird."

"No, okay, she's not weird, but she's been _acting_ weird," his wife clarified, lowering her voice to ensure the younger kids wouldn't overhear from the living room. "She's all sort of quiet and thoughtful."

"Well, most of the time that's normal for her," Luke considered. "Maybe she's just feeling a little strange about leaving Chilton and starting Harvard in the Fall. I mean, it's kind of a big deal for her, for us too. I'm gonna miss the hell out of our girl when she's gone."

Lorelai smiled, reaching her arms around her husband from behind and squeezing, her cheeks pressed against his back.

"I love it when you say stuff like that," she admitted. "_Our_ girl," she echoed, by way of explanation.

Luke smiled but said nothing more. He really did think of Rory as his daughter much of the time, even though he knew she really wasn't at all. Blood and DNA was all well and good, but he had been the only real, constant father figure in Rory's life, something she had mentioned the importance of in her valedictorian speech just a week ago. Luke never thought he could be any more proud of her until that moment, when she thanked him for always being there for her, supporting her, like a father should.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," he told Lorelai then, turning around to hug her too. "She was so happy to have Jess come visit and they seem to be getting along as well now as they did when they were kids. Plus, if she is at all worried about college or anything, maybe talking to Jess will help. They're the same age, going through some of the same stuff."

"Same stuff," Lorelai scoffed. "Thank God Rory and Will are not going through what Jess and Tuesday are going through parents-wise," she said with a look.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Do not get me started," he urged her. "I really need to call Liz about all this, but honestly? I don't even know where to start. Times like this I wish Dad were still around."

"I always wish that," Lorelai said sadly. "He was the best. However, you are a lot like your father, Luke Danes, so whatever it is you need to say to Liz, you'll find a way," she promised him with a smile.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" he asked, pulling her ever closer.

"Hmm, today? No. In the last week? Maybe, but once more couldn't hurt, just so I can be sure," she said with a grin.

"I love you, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore-Danes," he told her, eyes meeting hers and showing her how much he meant those words.

"I love you too, Lucas William Gilmore-Danes," she replied just as sincerely.

They were kissing when the kids came in search of juice and snacks. They only really knew Will and Tuesday were ever there by the 'eew' and gagging sounds before two pairs of feet went rushing back into the living room. Luke and Lorelai were both laughing as they parted, and then they went right back to kissing some more, because why the hell not?

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I wasn't sure how this fic would go down with you reader-peops, but I'm getting a lot of positive feedback, so yay, and also, thank you very much for that :) Now, how about a little Jess POV on this whole situation?**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 5

"You sure you don't wanna come with, Tues?" asked Jess, as they got to the Crap Shack. "Lane's pretty cool to hang out with."

"Will is fun too," she countered. "He tells me about the books he reads and I draw the places and the people for him. It's kinda cool actually."

"Sounds good." Her brother smiled.

He really was glad that she got along with her cousin. Will seemed like a cool kid. He looked a lot like Lorelai, sounded a lot like a mini-Luke, and tore through books the way he and Rory always had. Will seemed to appreciate having another kid to spend time with too, one who didn't judge his veracious appetite for reading. Plus, there was no way Tuesday wasn't loving showing off her art skills. At eight, she drew better than Jess could at eighteen, and it was what she loved to do more than anything else.

"So, I'll be back to pick you up in a couple of hours, we'll get some lunch and spend some time just you and me, okay?" he said, crouching down closer to her level.

"Sounds good," she said, just the same way he had.

In a second, she was facing the front door and giving it a knock, happy to run inside the moment Lorelai greeted her.

"Thanks for taking her again today," Jess told his aunt as he got back to his feet. "I promise it won't be like this the whole time we're here."

"Relax, it's no problem," Lorelai promised him, literally waving away his concern. "The whole thing with me being between inns means I have some time on my hands, and I like being around for Will as much as I can in the summer anyway. Tuesday is always welcome," she said with a smile. "She's a great kid."

"God knows how that happened." Jess rolled his eyes. "With the DNA she has?"

"Hey, that's the same DNA floating around in you, and I happen to think you're a pretty cool kid too," she assured him. "Well, you always were before and you don't seem to have changed a whole lot, 'cept for the getting taller, obviously."

Jess smirked at that particular comment but was grateful for it all the same.

"I shouldn't be gone too long. I promised Tuesday I'd take her to lunch so... around one?"

"Sure, sure." Lorelai nodded. "But don't panic if you're longer, I'm not going anywhere today."

"Thanks again, Aunt Lorelai." Jess smiled genuinely before heading away from the house.

He was meeting Lane at Weston's, a necessity since her mother would see if they were in the town square or even at Luke's place. Mrs Kim was not to be messed with, Jess recalled that very well, and he could only imagine she had gotten worse since Lane had grown from a child to a young woman. If she didn't trust boys of eight near her daughter, there was no way in hell she was going to trust a guy of eighteen, even if Jess had no thoughts of Lane in that way.

That particular line of thought brought Jess' mind right back around to Rory. Now she had grown up into something special. As kids, they had been like best friends, even when they were forcibly parted by way of the Marianos moving to New York, and then later, further afield. They wrote for a while, but Jess seemed to recall that as the months and years went by, they just sort of stopped. He couldn't say whether it was him or Rory that had given in first, though he would suspect it was him. Rory was just too nice not to keep on trying.

There was no part of Jess that had expected Rory to be all that much different when he saw her again, and he was right. She was still just as kind and sweet and funny, still just as into books and music and movies like he was, though of course both his taste and hers had grown up a little. What really hit Jess like a freight train was how good Rory looked when he saw her again. Even working in the diner, hair tied back, apron on, wearing a film of grease, she was just extraordinary, beautiful, and oddly intriguing to him. All Jess could do was thank his lucky stars that, despite their family connections, they weren't actually blood-related. Otherwise, he would be seriously questioning the stability of his mind and body.

"My, my, Jess Mariano," said a voice, catching his attention. "Darling, I just cannot get over how well you've grown up."

He smiled as he looked up at Miss Patty standing in the doorway of the dance studio with her cigarette holder in her hand.

"I don't think you've aged a day in ten years, Miss Patty," he told her with a smile.

"Flatterer," she said, waving away his compliments with her free hand. "You know I run adult dance classes too," she told him, pulling the door closed a little more as if shielding the kids she currently had practicing from what she might say next. "And when I say _adult_..." she said with a wicked expression.

"Don't tempt me," Jess told her, smirking terribly as he set off walking again.

The townies really hadn't changed much as far as Jess could tell. Of course, the kids he used to know were all grown up, but the adults were the same as they had always been. He said as much to Lane when he finally reached Weston's and joined her at a table far away from the window where nobody was likely to notice them.

"Sometimes I wish people would change," she told him definitely. "Like my mom."

"Lane, if you're gonna get into trouble for being seen with me, let's not do this," he said, shaking his head. "I don't wanna see you publicly flogged just for trying to talk to me."

"It would've been easier if Rory were around. Mama likes Rory."

"She never liked me." Jess rolled his eyes.

The waitress came over and they ordered hot drinks and a slice of pie each. The moment she was gone, they continued their conversation with Lane asking Jess about life in California, and then him asking her how she coped being under Mrs Kim's thumb all these years.

"So, it's not as bad as it seems. The grounding for Prom is flexible, which is how I'm here right now," she explained. "Of course, Mama thinks I'm with Rory, but thankfully, she has her cell with her, so if Mrs Kim checks, she can answer from her grandparents' house and pretend like we're together."

"Right." Jess nodded. "Very 007," he said, putting another forkful of pie into his mouth. "So, Rory went to the Stars Hollow High prom, even though she went to Chilton?" he asked, in what he hoped was a conversational, not intrusive way.

"It was always the plan." Lane shrugged. "She went to the Chilton Prom too, since they were different weeks. I just think it's a shame that she didn't have a date to either thing. I mean, what are the odds that out of the two of us, I would be the one with a boyfriend when Prom rolled around?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Huh," said Jess, staring into his dish. "So, Rory doesn't date?"

"Oh, no, she does," Lane explained. "Well, she did. She had a boyfriend. Dean, he works at the market. They were together for a while and it was good but, I don't know, he just got really weird and possessive. If she blew him off at all, even for homework or something, he just got so mad. After a while, she had to end it."

"Recently?" Jess asked, putting the last bite of pie into his mouth.

"Not really," Lane considered. "She and Dean haven't been officially together since sometime in Junior year, although they did almost rekindle at one point. It is definitely dead and buried now."

Jess nodded in understanding but didn't say anything else. The last thing he wanted was for Lane to start getting any ideas. That said, it was probably a good thing that she realised he wasn't interested in her at all, and that she had a boyfriend already so she wouldn't be interested in him. Jess so didn't need that kind of hassle right now, not on top of everything else.

"So, how long are you and your sister here for?" asked Lane then. "You know, you could've brought her along for pie, I'd've been okay with that."

"I did ask if she wanted to come, but she and Will seem to have become best buds in record time," he explained, smiling when he said it.

"Well, they are cousins, I guess," she considered. "That said, you and Rory were always so close, and technically, you're not even related."

There was something about the way she looked at him when she said it, it made Jess wonder. Lane was good with secrets and such, she had to be with a mom like hers. If he didn't know any better, he would think she had been reading his mind and was now letting him know what she thought about his potential feelings about Rory. Either that or Jess was suffering from some serious wishful thinking.

"Are you really not going to admit it?" she said then, trying to meet his eyes that he had deliberately trained on his tea at this point. "Jess, come on. I'm not going to judge you."

"Don't know what you're talking about," he said, shaking his head as he finally looked at her.

Lane rolled her eyes. "You do realise that a good 80% of this conversation has been about Rory, right? Now, I know she is one of the main links between us, but we could just as easily have been talking about your life or mine after not seeing each other for nearly a decade, but every other question you've asked me has been Rory-centric."

"Sorry, I didn't realise," Jess told her.

Lane smiled and put her hand on his arm. "I really don't mind, Jess. Actually, I think it's kind of sweet. I mean, you guys were so close when we were kids, and then after all this time you meet again and you like her. It's like a really good romantic movie or something."

"Maybe." Jess smirked some. "But seriously, you don't think it's weird?"

"Why is it weird?" She frowned at that, retracting her hand to pick up her drink with both hands and take a long sip.

"I don't know." Jess shrugged. "We were kind of raised like we were cousins, and yeah, sure, I know we're actually not, but you don't think people around here are gonna find that strange?"

"Maybe some people," Lane considered. "But like you said, you're not really related, plus you haven't seen each other in forever. Maybe it would be different if your parents never moved away, but they did. You and Rory weren't raised together the whole time, and even if you were, still not related."

Jess knew she was right. It was something he consoled himself with when he first saw Rory and realised just how attractive she was. Looks weren't everything, of course, but she had proven herself to be sweet and funny and smart, and all of that was very attractive too. Naturally, this whole thing hinged on whether or not she liked him that way too. Jess knew she wanted to be his friend, but there was still a leap from there to what he was thinking of right now.

* * *

"Aunt Lorelai said my drawings were so good, they should go on the fridge with Will's school award stickers and Rory's graduation speech," said Tuesday proudly as she went into the diner with Jess. "I told her I have even better pictures at home. That one of the dragons that you got framed for me is still my favourite."

"Don't sell yourself short, Tues," her brother told her as she ushered her towards a table just as the couple at it were leaving. "What you did today was pretty cool too. Aunt Lorelai showed me while you were getting your coat. Just promise me that one day, when you're famous, you'll still have some time for your poor, unartistic brother, okay?"

"You're so dumb." Tuesday giggled and rolled her eyes at him. "Like I would ever not have time for you."

"Good to know." Jess smiled back at her, looking around to see where the wait staff might be.

Uncle Luke was running around behind the counter like his ass was on fire, and there was maybe one girl waiting on tables. All the yelling towards the kitchen suggested Caesar was manning the grill, but the diner was packed and even with the three staff working flat-out, they were never going to get on top of everything.

"It's crazy in here," said Tuesday, turning around in her seat to look. "I don't think we're going to get served forever."

"Maybe not," Jess considered. "You hang tight here, okay? Take a look at the menu, pick out what you want for lunch. I'll be back in a sec."

Tuesday nodded her agreement, opening up the menu and taking her time going over her options while Jess dodged behind the counter and tried to intercept Luke on his way back from the store room.

"Hey."

"Hey, Jess. What are you doing here?" asked Luke, looking more than a little harassed.

"I picked up Tues from your place and brought her back here to eat," he explained. "Looks like the wait time for service is kinda long though."

"Don't even get me started," Luke rolled his eyes. "Apparently there's a bug going around, I had two people call in sick right at the last minute. I don't have time to try to get cover since the lunch rush just won't end-"

"I'll help," Jess cut in, reaching around Luke for the spare apron on the hook there. "Where do you want me?"

"Jess, no." Luke shook his head. "You're on vacation and you can't just-"

"Uncle Luke, come on. You need the help, I'm here. It's not like I don't have a clue. Most of the money I have right now has come from way too many hours working at Dante's back home. Jimmy trust me with _his_ business."

"And I trust you with mine," Luke insisted. "Of course, I do, but what about Tuesday?" he asked then, spotting the little girl hunched over the table studying the menu still.

"She's fine. I'll tell her I'm helping you out, get her whatever she wants to eat, and when she's done, she'll probably pitch in too," Jess insisted.

"She's eight," Luke reminded him.

"She's smart for eight," Jess countered fast. "Besides, how hard is it to fill salt shakers? She'll love the chance to be helpful."

Luke sighed. "You're a good kid, Jess."

"I like to think so." Jess smiled. "Now, where do you want me?" he asked again, letting Luke run through how things worked and what he needed him to do as much as he wanted, even though it was all pretty self-explanatory.

Honestly, Jess was happy to help, but the thought had also occurred that getting into Uncle Luke's good books as much as possible certainly couldn't hurt at all. If he really was going to stick around and take his place at Yale, like he hoped to, Jess was going to need to stay in the apartment way more than two weeks, and he would need some way to pay his way. All things considered, this could be a real step in the right direction.

_To Be Continued..._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So, for those that don't know, updates didn't happen for the better part of two weeks because I had major internet problems; however, I am back now and hopefully there will be no more delays :) I'm only glad I got to give you all Jess' POV on things before the non-posting gap and I really appreciate all the reviews you sent me on that too - thanks, peops :) Now, on we go...**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 6

Rory went to the fridge to grab the orange juice and stared a moment at the art work on the door instead. It was really impressive, way better than anything she could ever draw herself, and she had never known her brother to be that good with a pack of crayons either.

"Will?" she called to him. "Did you draw this picture?" she asked anyway, confused as to who else could have done it.

"That's Tuesday's picture," he told her, wandering out into the kitchen with his nose firmly in a book. "She's really good."

"Apparently." Rory nodded, turning to look at Will then and reaching out to push his book away from his face.

He looked up sharply to find her frowning at him.

"I know Mom has told you a million times about walking around reading," she reminded him. "One day you're going to plough right into the furniture or get run down by a bus."

"There are no buses in the kitchen." He rolled his eyes.

"Sure, and I've never seen you reading like that in the street," Rory countered with a look.

"I'll be more careful," Will promised her, smiling as he sat down at the table and went back to reading. When he paused to turn the page, he looked up again. "I wish I could draw as good as Tuesday," he said, watching Rory stare at the picture on the fridge some more. "I guess she isn't going to be here long enough to teach me."

Rory opened her mouth to reply to that but then changed her mind. She could tell Will that Jess and Tuesday both might be staying longer than he thought. For one thing, she didn't really know for sure if that were true. Sure, Jess had accepted a place at Yale so it was likely he might want to stay. He was technically an adult and could make that decision if he wanted to, but Tuesday? At her age, it was going to be way more complicated.

"Hellooo?" Lorelai called cheerily as she came through the front door. "Where are my loin-fruit?"

"In the kitchen!" Rory called back, smiling as her mom came in, arms outstretched.

"Ah, Mommy's precious boy," she said, hugging Will tight and planting a big kiss on his head. "Mommy's precious girl," she added, coming at Rory next and repeating the action.

"Were there grown-up drinks at your inn meeting with Sookie?" her daughter asked suspiciously.

"There were not," Lorelai said firmly. "I happen to be high on life, kids. Things are looking up - all surveys have come back fine and dandy, construction work begins on Monday."

"Wow, that's so great." Rory smiled.

"Well, there's still kind of a long way to go and so much money to be spent, but progress is being made, so Mommy's happy. Um, so why are we all hanging in the kitchen?" she asked then, looking from Rory by the fridge to Will reading diligently at the table.

"I don't know." Rory shrugged. "I was getting a drink and Will was-"

"Reading in the living room, until she yelled and asked about Tuesday's picture on the fridge," said Will, without missing a beat or looking up. "I'm going back to the couch now," he added as he reached the bottom of the page, closed the book with his finger in it to mark the place and ran off.

"You don't like Tuesday's picture?" Lorelai asked Rory then.

"It's a great picture, I was just surprised to see it there is all," Rory explained.

"Well, she was so proud of it and Will liked it too. The kid has talent." Lorelai smiled, admiring the drawing. "Having her and Jess here is cool, right?"

"Very cool," her daughter agreed and yet her heart didn't really seem to be in it.

Lorelai watched Rory head for her room and called her back before she quite made her escape.

"Could you come sit down for a sec?" she asked, taking a seat across from her daughter at the table. "Rory, honey, is something going on? I mean, are you and Jess not getting along like you expected to or something?"

"No, we're fine," said Rory a little too fast. "Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know." Lorelai shook her head. "It's just... Well, you seem a little awkward about him being here. I don't want you to have to feel that way in your own home."

Rory wanted to explain, she really did, but looking across the table, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. If she confessed her feelings about Jess, her mom would probably think she was sick. Best case scenario, Rory would have to firmly denounce Luke as the father figure in her life to make her attraction to Jess less weird, and she just couldn't bear to do that, especially not out loud to her mom, of all people.

She was saved from having to say anything at all, when the back door suddenly opened and in walked Luke, followed closely by Jess and Tuesday.

"Hey, I didn't know you girls were back."

"As much as I love Grandma and Grandpa, we only have so many things to talk about," Rory confessed.

"Yeah, and I just got back a few minutes ago myself," Lorelai explained, kissing her husband hello as he put groceries down on the table. "Fancy dinner supplies?" she asked, peering into one of the bags.

"Not fancy, just extra," he explained. "I invited Jess and Tuesday to join us tonight. They've both been a real big help in the diner today," he explained.

"I filled salt shakers and married ketchup bottles," Tuesday told Rory happily.

"Fun," she said with a genuine smile. "I always like those jobs too."

"She's not actually kidding," Luke confirmed with a grin of his own.

"Any time you need an extra pair of hands, Uncle Luke, just ask," Jess assured him, leaning back against the counter. "For as long as I'm here, I'm available."

"I may take you up on that." Luke nodded. "But for now, I'm making dinner, so everybody out of my kitchen please."

"Yes, sir," said Lorelai, with an over-the-top salute. "Troops, disperse," she told the kids waving her hands in a wild gesture.

"Will's in the living room," Rory told Tuesday who ran through to find her cousin without pause. "You sure you don't want any help with dinner, Luke?"

"You heard the man, sweetie. Time to go," Lorelai reminded her, literally giving her a shove towards her room. "I'm going to go grab a shower while the going's good," she added, rushing up the stairs in the next moment.

Rory had just made it as far as sitting down on her bed and opening a book, when a rapping sound made her look up. Jess was leant in her open doorway, knocking for her attention on the wall.

"Good book?" he asked, smirking because he knew what the answer would be.

"Very good," she told him, nodding her head and holding up the cover for him to see.

"_The Fountainhead_? Wow. I never did make it through that thing."

"You're kidding. It's a classic."

"Sure." Jess nodded, wandering in and gesturing to the desk chair. "May I?"

"Of course." Rory nodded, having to clear her throat right after. "So, what's the problem with _The Fountainhead_?"

"Ayn Rand is a political nut," Jess told her easily.

"Yes, but nobody can write a forty-page monologue like she can."

"You know, I thought you'd have even more books than I do," said Jess, leaning back in the seat, eyes surveying the book shelves. "This looks weirdly tame."

"Ah, you're not seeing the full picture," she pointed out, hopping off the bed and crouching beneath the main book shelves.

Jess got up again to properly see as Rory opened up three large drawers that were all stuffed full of books and then lifted the covers of her bed to reveal piles of even more volumes stuffed under there too.

"I stand corrected," said Jess, sounding so much closer than Rory expected him to be.

She flew to her feet, arm shooting out and hitting him across the face before she could stop it.

"Oh, my God. I'm sorry," she said, hands covering her own face. "I had no idea you were right there."

"No big deal," Jess assured her, even as he winced and blinked hard through one very watery eye. "Wow, I would hate to get on the wrong side of you. That's a hell of a left hook, especially for someone who wasn't even trying."

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, approaching carefully this time.

"I promise, Rory, it's not a big deal."

She moved in closer still, reaching a hand to the side of his head and looking carefully at his face. His eye was red but he seemed to be able to keep it open more easily now. Of course, Rory realised too late what she was actually doing. She was now stood extremely close to Jess, her hand pretty much cradling his cheek. He didn't exactly seem bothered by it, in fact he was smiling by now.

"Um, you seem okay," she said fast, retracting her hand and putting both of them behind her back before she did anything else stupid with them.

"I'm fine," Jess promised her. "Rory..."

"Jess, do you...?" Luke stopped talking when he put his head around the bedroom door and started to frown. "Everything okay in here?" he asked, looking between them.

"Sure." Jess nodded. "Rory was just showing me her library. Do I remember you building some of these shelves when we were kids?"

"I built _all_ of those shelves," Luke confirmed. "And still she doesn't have enough room," he added, rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless as he looked at Rory.

"But my book shelves are the best book shelves because you made them," she told him definitely.

"For that, I'll let you have the biggest piece of pie for dessert," he promised. "Uh, Jess, you and Tuesday are okay with nuts, right?" he checked then, presumably the question he originally came to ask. "You know, lately everybody seems to have an allergy to something and there are pecans in the pie, so-"

"No known allergies or intolerances in the Mariano part of the family," Jess confirmed.

"That's good." Luke nodded. "Thank God for being related to normal people," he added as he went back to his dinner prep.

"Normal? Is that what we are?" Jess asked Rory with one eyebrow raised.

"What is normal?" she said, shrugging her shoulders.

She didn't feel all that normal right now, anything but when she was in Jess' company actually. There was no way he would ever understand that and she certainly wasn't going to tell him.

"I should go see what the kids are doing," she said, knowing what a lame excuse it was even as she spoke the words and pushed past Jess to hurry out the door.

All Rory knew for sure was that she absolutely could not be alone in her room with Jess, and that she could never, ever tell him why.

_To Be Continued..._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Is this story moving too slowly for you guys? It feels necessary to me, but if you feel differently, you can tell me. Always appreciate the feedback, so long as it's polite ;) Thanks to those who do leave reviews. Hope you continue to enjoy :)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see Chapter 1)**_

Chapter 7

"I like Stars Hollow," Tuesday declared.

"Oh yeah? I thought you'd be bored by now. It has been more than a week," said Jess, glancing back to where his sister was sitting at the table flipping the pages of her sketchbook while he threw together some lunch. "There's not half so much to do as in Venice. No boardwalk, no beach."

"That's true, but there are so many interesting people," said Tuesday happily. "I'm getting lots of practice with all the new faces."

Jess turned around with two plates of sandwiches in his hand to find Tuesday holding up a page from her book, covered in portraits. They were all in her own cartoony style, but it was clear who each person was as Jess looked them over. Kirk, Miss Patty, Taylor Doose, and the Reverend Skinner all stared back at him from the page. It seemed his little sister had been busy people-watching when she was sat in the diner while he worked off and on the last few days. No wonder she had been so quiet.

"Those are amazing, Tues," he assured her, sliding her plate towards her.

She made a face as she put down her sketchbook and pulled at the bread on top of her sandwich.

"What is this?"

"Tuna mayo," Jess told her. "Come on, you love tuna mayo."

"It looks weird."

"It's not weird and we don't have anything else right now, so could you please just be a big girl about it and eat the sandwich?"

He didn't want to fight with her, but sometimes she was so picky about food. Jess wasn't sure where she got that from, since nobody else in their family was that way. Sometimes he wondered if she made a fuss just because she could.

Tuesday sighed like it was a huge deal but took a bite of her sandwich anyway. Jess figured if he could distract her in conversation while she ate, she would probably get through her lunch without complaining anymore.

"So, did you draw everybody in Stars Hollow, or what?" he asked, flipping the pages of her sketchbook with the hand not holding his sandwich.

"If you get mayonnaise on the pages, I'll never forgive you," she warned him too seriously, "and no, not everybody. Just the interesting people."

Jess smirked at her chosen descriptor. Most of the people in Stars Hollow counted as interesting in one way or another. Quirky was another good word for them, and downright strange in some cases. As he looked at Tuesday's sketches, he picked out portraits of many people he knew and one or two that he didn't. When he turned over to the next page, he got a real surprise.

"Woah," he said without even meaning to.

The whole of the page was taken up by a picture akin to that of a Disney princess, all long flowing hair, perfect figure, and a beautiful dress. The surprise was in the face that didn't belong to Aurora or Ariel or Belle, but instead to a girl he actually knew in real life.

"You think she'll like it?" asked Tuesday around a mouthful.

"Could you swallow first?" Jess prompted, wincing at the sight of smooshed bread and fish in her mouth. "Now ask me again."

"Do you think Rory will like my picture?" she said, nodding towards the page.

Jess looked back at the page and was bowled over by it for a second time. It was no real shock to him to realise his little sister was super-talented when it came to drawing. It wasn't even that he didn't know Rory was beautiful, because he absolutely did. The trouble was the weird juxtaposition of her face staring out at him from Tuesday's sketchbook.

"Jess?" she prompted, poking him in the arm when he failed to respond fast enough. "You don't think she'll like it, do you?"

"Tues, she'll love it," Jess promised her fast. "I swear, she will. Come on, I've known Rory since we were born, I should know if she'll like something or not, right?"

"I guess." Tuesday shrugged, putting the last bite of sandwich into her mouth and chewing it up fast. The second she had swallowed she spoke again. "Are there chips?"

"Uh, sure, yeah." Jess nodded, tearing his eyes away from the picture of Rory a second time and moving to find potato chips for Tuesday.

"She's really pretty, isn't she?" he heard her ask behind him. "Rory, I mean. She looks so much like a princess already, it was really easy to draw her that way."

"Yeah, she's... she's pretty," said Jess, feeling horribly awkward though he wasn't entirely sure why.

He had a hundred things he should feel that way about right now, but thinking Rory was pretty wasn't really one of them. After all, he had talked this over with Lane, and she didn't think his being attracted to Rory was a problem. Even if Luke or Lorelai felt differently, it wasn't as if it was totally illegal or morally disgusting. Rory was not his blood cousin, just someone he was close to when they were really young. Sure, he called her mom 'Aunt Lorelai' and she called his parents 'Aunt Liz and Uncle Jimmy' but people did that with folks they weren't related to all the time. It didn't mean much.

Shaking his head to bring him back to the task at hand, Jess finally located potato chips and brought two bags to the table, tossing one into Tuesday's waiting hands.

"You're weird today," she said, staring at him. "Do you wish we were back home?"

"No way." Jess shook his head definitely before a thought occurred to him. "Why, do you?"

Tuesday looked down into her bag of chips, not saying a word.

"Tues, you know, it's okay if you miss Mom and Dad," he promised her, "and it's also okay if you don't. Come on, this is me. There's nothing you can't say to me, right?"

He watched his sister nod her head then eventually look up at him again.

"I kind of miss them," she admitted in a small voice, "but I don't miss all the yelling and everything. Aunt Lorelai and Uncle Luke get along way better than Mom and Dad, don't they?"

"Oh, yeah," Jess agreed easily. "They're the original golden couple. As in love as your Disney princesses are with their Disney princes," he said, smirking some as he gestured towards the sketchbook still open on the page with 'Princess Rory' drawn on it.

Tuesday giggled, clearly imagining Lorelai and Luke in that kind of get up. Then she sighed.

"Rory should have a prince," she said thoughtfully. "I asked her if she had a boyfriend but she said no. Don't you think she should have a prince?"

For a kid that was incredibly jaded about her own parents and home life, Jess found it interesting that Tuesday was also into fairytales and happily ever afters for everybody else. Maybe it wasn't so strange. She was probably hoping that when she got out of the mess that was home, maybe she could grow up to have a magical life of her own. After all, a lot of those princesses didn't start off so well either, like Cinderella or Rapunzel.

"Like the song says, Tues," he said after a while. "Pretty sure every princess knows, someday her prince will come," he told her with a smile.

The grin that put back on Tuesday's face was well worth the reference he had made, and since there was no-one else there to hear it, it didn't matter to Jess anyway. He would pretty much do anything to make Tues happy and to see she was okay. Of course, trying to ensure her life turned out like it should was the only thing more impossible right now than figuring out what he was going to do about his feelings for one Rory Gilmore. So much for coming to Stars Hollow to escape the crazy. It just seemed to follow Jess wherever he went.

* * *

"You can stop laughing any time," said Luke grumpily, shifting away from Lorelai in the bed as she muffled another burst of giggles in her own pillow.

"Maybe I would if you stopped saying ridiculously funny things," she told him when she finally caught her breath. "Oh my God, Luke, how did you even come up with that crazy theory?"

"It's not a theory, Lorelai," he told her snippily. "I know what I saw."

When she realised how serious he was, she really did make an effort to calm down some more, but it wasn't easy. Her husband was the best man she knew, but Lorelai was seriously starting to wonder if he needed glasses or something, because there was no way he could've seen what he thought he saw.

"Tell me again exactly what it looked like," she urged him, "because it doesn't make sense the way you told it."

Luke heaved a sigh like she was just so tiresome and started over.

"The other day, when I was making dinner, I took a half-step into Rory's bedroom to ask Jess if he and Tuesday were okay with eating nuts-"

"Because there were pecans in the pie," Lorelai cut in. "I got that part."

"Okay, so I stepped forward, pushed the door a little with my elbow and there they were."

"Rory and Jess?"

"Rory and Jess," Luke confirmed. "She had her hand on his face and they were standing real close. It looked... It just looked like a moment. I told myself I was being crazy, obviously, but it's just there in my head and the more I think about it the more it seemed, well, like a moment."

"A moment." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "They're cousins, Luke. They were best friends when they were, like, a couple of months old. They're not going to be having a moment of any kind."

"You can not believe me all you want, Lorelai, but I saw the way they were looking at each other, and not just that day either. It always seems... significant with them."

"Can you give me one of these looks?" she asked, smiling too much and they both knew it. "Come on, I wanna feel significant."

Luke didn't answer, just turned over onto his side as if he was going right to sleep. Lorelai really didn't mean to make him so mad, but she was having real trouble believing Rory and Jess were attracted to each other. It was weird and a little icky to contemplate actually. Like she said, they were childhood friends and cousins. Well, sort of, anyway. When she thought about it, she realised with no small amount of pain that actually they were not related at all.

Of course, she was well aware that Luke wasn't really Rory's dad, but the families were so connected, she thought of the Danes as her people, her family, the folks she belonged with. They had always referred to the Mariano kids as cousins for Rory and Will, but in truth, Rory and Jess were no more related than Lorelai and Liz or Luke and Jimmy. It was all connections made via other people, no blood or DNA involved.

"Huh," she said without realising she had spoken.

"What?" asked Luke, turning to look at her.

"Well, I'm not saying I think you saw what you think you saw," she said, frowning when she realised that probably wouldn't make very much sense to anyone but her and maybe her husband who was well-used to her rambling ways by now, "but Rory and Jess, I mean, if they were into each other, I guess it wouldn't matter so much. They're not related, are they?"

"Not technically." Luke shook his head, eyes dropping to the bed. "Not really."

Lorelai sighed and shifted further down under the covers, wrapping her arms around her husband and pillowing her head on his chest.

"It's so weird," she declared, considering the concept some more. "I mean, we raised them like cousins. Well, we always called them cousins. I guess you can't really say we raised them as anything, since Jess hasn't been around in about a decade."

"For them, they're practically strangers these days." Luke nodded, holding his wife close and kissing the top of her head. "And teenagers with all those hormones and everything... I guess it's not so crazy that they could like each other."

Neither of them were saying what was really bothering them, of course, though they might have felt better if they had. If Rory and Jess wanted to be together, there wasn't really anything to stop them, but it would make the lack of real connection between Rory and Luke all the more obvious, reminding anyone who thought about it that he wasn't her father, that the Gilmore-Danes family was a hybrid creature at best.

"Maybe I was wrong," he said softly after a long, awkward silence. "I'm probably reading too much into the situation and worrying about nothing."

"Yeah, probably," Lorelai agreed, planting a kiss on his chest.

It was easier to pretend, but the more she considered the strange way Rory had been acting since Jess and Tuesday came to town, the more she started to wonder if Luke wasn't right all along. Now that Lorelai gave it more thought, this strange behaviour was oddly reminiscent of a couple of years ago when Rory first got a crush on Dean Forrester.

Closing her eyes, Lorelai begged sleep to come take her. She really couldn't think about this right now, and she sure as hell didn't want to have to discuss it with Luke. Something told her things were bound to get all kinds of messy this summer, and she wasn't looking forward to it, not one little bit.

_To Be Continued..._


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to the reviewers for the supportive feedback - always means a lot :) I think, in various ways, this might be the chapter you've been waiting for...?**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 8

"Did I mention that you're the best?" said Lane, practically jumping up and down with joy. "I mean, seriously, the best."

"I think you probably did." Jess chuckled at her enthusiasm. "I only hope my day goes as well as you think yours will."

"Did you ask her yet?"

"No, but I figure if nothing else she'll agree on a purely scholastic level. If there's one thing Rory supports it's education and New Haven is the home of Yale."

Jess knew he didn't really need trickery to get Rory to spend time with him, though over the last few days, she hadn't exactly seemed eager when he offered to take her places or hang out at all. She always seemed to have something else to do, but for this particular errand, he genuinely would like her company. She was literally the only person he could ask. Even Lane didn't know why he suddenly had a yen to scope out the sights of New Haven.

The whole going to Yale thing was still a secret, even though Jess had almost told Luke and Lorelai a couple of times. He knew it was Tuesday that he would have to have a conversation with first, and that he was definitely not looking forward to. Then there were his parents to consider, but all of those people were on the back-burner, just for today. All Jess really wanted was to see the place he hoped to go to school starting in the Fall, and to spend some real alone time with Rory.

As a bonus, Lane was getting something out of the deal too. She was lamenting how her boyfriend, Dave, was finally back in town and how it was going to be a real challenge getting to see him under the watchful eye of Mrs Kim. The perfect solution seemed to be for her to play babysitter for Tuesday while Jess went to New Haven with Rory. She had sat with Will before and since the kids got along so well, Lorelai took no convincing when Jess suggested they hang out at the diner apartment with Lane and Dave while the rest of them were all busy elsewhere.

"Where will you be?" Lorelai asked Jess curiously. "I'm sorry, is that none of my business?" she realised too late.

"I was actually hoping to spend some time with Rory," he told his aunt honestly. "You know, we haven't had many chances to really talk and catch up since I've been here."

"Oh, well, that's... cool," she told him, nodding her head and smiling too wide.

Jess almost thought she was going to say something else, maybe voice an objection or whatever, but she didn't. Maybe she always smiled that big, he struggled to recall.

All that was left once the arrangements were made was for Jess to ask Rory to go with him to explore New Haven, both the part where Yale sat and further afield, so he would know what to expect when he was there for school. At first, he could tell she was going to make excuses, so he cut in fast before she could with his best pleading eyes and sound arguments.

"You're really the only person I can take with me on this trip, since you're the only one who knows about Yale," he told her. "Besides, I'm not sure I could think of a better person to go scouting for book stores and diners with anyway."

If he didn't get her with the guilt, Jess was damn sure that books and food would win her over, and of course, he was right.

"I guess it could be fun." Rory nodded her agreement.

An hour later they were on the bus heading to New Haven, each with a book in their hands as they made the journey in comfortable silence. If Rory noticed Jess stealing glances at her here and there, she didn't mention it. He thought he was being pretty subtle but was also aware she was highly observant. Still, if she didn't say anything, he wouldn't either.

They got off the bus at the stop nearest Yale itself, Jess figuring that, after the tour of campus, he could see how long it took to walk from there to wherever else he might want to go. He and Rory went forth and checked out the campus, with her getting more excited about the process than he ever could. She was always pretty big on studying as he recalled, but had clearly blossomed into a full-on education nerd as time went on, albeit in the best possible way. Seeing her passionate about something, even if it was school, made her even more attractive to Jess than she had been before, and he hadn't known that was possible.

When the tour of Yale itself was done, he was kind of relieved to head out into New Haven proper. It wasn't that he didn't want to see the school he intended to spend four years attending, but as far as he was concerned, a classroom was a classroom and a cafeteria was a cafeteria. He was way more interested in the time he got to spend alone with Rory today. This wasn't exactly a date, as such, but it was probably as close as he was going to get right now.

They grabbed some lunch from the very first place they found in town, just because Rory was already starving and in desperate need of more coffee, then it was out into the streets to track down any and all book stores, record shops, movie theatres and the like. Anything that might be of use or interest to Jess throughout his time at Yale.

Rory, who had seemed sort of skittish when they started out, seemed to relax a little on campus at Yale, but really came alive amongst shelves of books and racks full of old vinyl. Any awkwardness she might've felt just melted away and she and Jess had a really good time.

They spent so long just hanging out, walking and talking, browsing and shopping, that it was actually getting quite late in the afternoon, something Rory only realise as they stepped out of yet another bookstore and she glanced at her watch.

"Wow," she said, shaking her head. "Did you know...?" she asked, showing Jess the time.

He shook his head. "Wasn't really paying attention, but I guess it's true what they say, times flies when you're having fun."

She smiled at that because it was true, they really had been having a lot of fun, but now it was getting late, they had a long bus ride home, and Rory was suddenly acutely aware of how strangely date-like this day had seemed. Of course, she was also very aware of the fact that Jess probably hadn't thought about it that way at all, because he probably didn't have a sick mind like she did!

"Maybe we should head home," she said, looking left and right for the nearest bus stop, trying to recall which pocket she put the schedule in too.

"Maybe," Jess agreed, shoving his hands into his pockets as they walked along. "Or we could stay a little longer. I could buy you dinner, you know, to say thanks for your help today."

"Oh, well, I didn't really do anything," Rory insisted, shaking her head. "I was just, sort of, here."

"It made a difference, I promise," said Jess, smiling in a way that made everything inside of Rory squeeze together somehow. "Come on, let's see if we can find someplace cool to eat. I'm going to need to know where's good when I'm here all the time and can't stand the Yale cafeteria food anymore."

Rory sighed. "Okay, you convinced me," she told Jess with a smile she couldn't help. "But, from what I've seen so far, I'm pretty sure New Haven has all the same places as anywhere else."

"I'm sure it does," Jess agreed, "but I'm not really a fan of those chains, you know, the ones with food in the title? No gardens, no plantations."

"Okay." Rory nodded. "Something... cooler?"

"Exactly."

"Then let's explore."

They set off with renewed vigour to find somewhere they might want to eat dinner. After about ten minutes, they found the perfect place, an independent bar and grill kind of establishment that appeared to have a good variety of food and decent prices. Rory and Jess went in and grabbed a table for two, pouring over the menu that soon had Rory salivating.

"No offence to Luke, you know I love him _and_ his food, but this all looks amazing!"

Jess was amused by her reaction to just a bunch of meal options, which was possibly even more animated than when she saw the campus at Yale or even a book she loved. Still, his attention was soon taken by the waitress, begrudgingly welcoming them to the place and asking what they wanted to order. They both made their choices and smiled as the harassed-looking woman rushed off to fulfil them.

"I was meaning to ask you, did Tues get around to giving you that picture she drew?" asked Jess then. "She was kind of nervous about whether you'd like it."

"The princess picture?" Rory smiled. "I have no idea why she was so nervous, it was a beautiful picture... which I probably shouldn't say since it was a picture of me. Wow, that was conceited."

"Trust me, it was a beautiful picture," Jess assured her, catching her eye and smiling.

Rory was pretty sure she stopped breathing and was really glad when the waitress interrupted whatever moment they might have been having. Not that it really was a moment, Rory was sure. She was just imagining things. Very bad things!

"Um, yeah, these are not sodas," she said a second after the waitress ran off again, leaving two bottles of beer in her wake.

"Huh," said Jess, noticing the same thing when he finally looked. "You really wanna tell her that?" he considered, watching the same waitress look daggers at a customer across the way and then very clearly complain about them the moment she got back to the bar. "Call me crazy, but I don't want a side order of strategically placed sneeze with my burger."

Jess reached for a bottle and almost got it to his lips before Rory physically stopped him.

"We're not twenty-one," she told him, in what could only be described as a loud whisper, if that were possible.

Jess couldn't help the laughter that escaped him then.

"Oh my God, did you really just say that?" he checked. "Rory, please tell me you had a drink before."

She shifted awkwardly in her seat and Jess knew the answer before she ever spoke.

"A glass of champagne at Sookie's wedding last year," she admitted at length, "that's about it. You?"

Jess shrugged his shoulders. "Parties tend to have beer where I come from," he told her easily, placing the bottle back on the table, "but I can call the waitress back, if you want?"

He didn't mean to pressure her or anything. He found it strange that she never had a drink before, but Jess didn't want Rory feeling bad or awkward about it. Each to their own, that was his opinion, and he certainly wouldn't upset her for the world.

Beside him, Rory's mind was racing. First, she was trying to keep herself under some kind of control around Jess, mostly stressing herself out in the process, and now, they had free beer and he found her strange for turning it down. Not that she would normally give into peer pressure, not that she really believed Jess was even trying to pressure her. She was aware that the waitress would be pissed if they questioned her at all, and honestly, Rory figured one beer couldn't hurt. Besides, a little alcohol might even help take the edge off the nerves that kept creeping back in every time Jess so much as smiled at her.

"No," she said eventually, "it's fine," she added, picking up the other beer bottle and waiting for Jess to reclaim his own. "Cheers," she offered.

"Cheers," Jess replied, clinking his bottle against her own, and they both drank.

* * *

It was supposed to be one beer each. Rory had assumed that was all they would have and by the time she ate her burger she figured she would barely feel the effects of the alcohol. She was wrong. When the waitress asked if they wanted another, Jess had said yes for himself and Rory found herself agreeing, for no reason she could ever explain. Though she did eat all of her food, and loved every mouthful, she was a rookie drinker and the beer hit her like a sledgehammer.

Jess could see she wasn't so drunk she was out of her mind or anything, but definitely past the level where some cute word like 'tipsy' might be applicable. This was the real deal, but thankfully, it seemed Rory was a happy drunk rather than the sad variety. She had laughed more in the last half hour than in the whole of the past week as far as Jess could tell and it was a highly infectious sound.

"It's official," she said giddily, as they headed down the street towards the bus stop, "I like beer."

"I'm not so sure you're gonna feel quite the same about it in the morning, but okay," Jess told her, grabbing her arm to steady her when she wobbled some more, not bothering to let go even when she was stable. "Also, you're such a cheap date," he teased her, earning himself a smack in the shoulder for his trouble.

"Shut up!" she told him, giggling still and lurching to the side a little with the momentum of striking out at him. "Ugh, it's so long since I last had any kind of date," she admitted then, leaning more heavily into his side.

"Really?" Jess checked, his arm sliding around her shoulders so he could better support her as they walked. "I thought the guys would be lining up."

"Not really." Rory sighed, grin returning in a moment as she took her turn at teasing him now. "I'll bet you're surrounded by girls in LA. Airheaded, bikini-clad, gorgeous blondes."

"Sometimes," Jess admitted, smirking hard. "Gets boring though," he told her then, eyes looking forward and never at her. "Makes you really crave a smart, fully-dressed, amazing brunette."

He figured she wouldn't understand what he meant in her current state, so he was safe to just say it. Of course, the next moment, Rory was tripping on thin air, or her own foot, or something, and he had to really grab onto her before she faceplanted onto the pavement.

Rory felt her stomach lurch as she started falling, and then her heart beat harder and faster than it ever had before when Jess caught her and pulled her back up. They were eye to eye, nose to nose, and Rory seemed to have completely forgotten how to speak or breathe or any of those other important things a person was supposed to be able to do.

"Jess?" she said weakly.

"What?" he asked, gently pushing her hair back off her face.

Suddenly, Rory had closed the gap between them, her lips very firmly pressed against Jess' own and her arms wrapped tight around his body as they kissed. He meant to resist, what with her being drunk and all, but honestly, it proved pretty impossible in the moment. He couldn't help himself, he did kiss back, but the moment he felt her pulling away, he let her go. It wouldn't have been fair to do anything else, however tempted he might be.

"Oh, God!" Rory gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

She turned away from Jess, staggered exactly two steps, and then promptly threw up in the gutter.

Jess closed his eyes and sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Yeah, that's just great."

_To Be Continued..._


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: That all took a turn, huh? lol Thanks for all the reviews, peops. I won't ramble on here, let's just get to the morning after the night before...**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 9

"Hey there, sleepyhead," said Lorelai cheerily as Rory staggered out of her room.

"Please, Mom, not so loud," her daughter urged her as she slumped down into a chair by the table and put her head in her hands.

"Well, maybe the teenager should respect those alcohol laws, huh?" said her mom, placing a large mug of black coffee in front of her. "Not that I can judge, I guess. Would be kind of hypocritical."

"It was only two beers." Rory sighed, running a hand over her face.

"That's all it takes sometimes, babe, especially when you're not used to it," said Lorelai, sitting down opposite her. "You feel that bad?"

Rory nodded slowly. "Very bad," she admitted, sipping her coffee.

Of course, the hangover was only half the problem, maybe not even that large of a percentage when she thought about it. Rory's memory of last night was crystal clear, considering the fact she had been a little drunk. As she said, it was only two beers, but as her mom had pointed out, Rory really wasn't used to it.

All she knew was when she was out with Jess in New Haven, headed for the bus to come home, she had felt so easy and comfortable. All the worry about her feelings for him and how wrong they were seemed to fade away. Everything seemed so natural and simple. When they had gotten close, she had just gone ahead and kissed him.

It felt good. So very good. Rory was also sure, at the time anyway, that Jess had kissed her back. Of course, in the cold light of day, she knew she had to be wrong. There was just no possible way that had happened. She was just so out of it that wishful thinking had taken over and made her believe.

"Sweets?" Lorelai prompted when Rory didn't respond the first time.

"Sorry?" she said, shaking her head and immediately regretting it. "Very bad," she muttered, closing her eyes a moment until the nausea sunk back to a dull roar.

"Take these, drink this," her mom advised, putting two pills into her hand and pushing a large glass of water closer to her on the table.

"Thanks," said Rory, taking her painkillers and gulping down as much water as she could. "Ugh, why do people drink?"

"For the fun that comes before the morning after hits," said Lorelai wisely. "For future reference, drink the water before you fall asleep next time, babe. It helps, I promise."

"There won't be a next time." Rory sighed, running a hand across her forehead.

"See, you say that now..." Lorelai smiled knowingly. "Jess seemed fine when he dropped you off here. Clearly he's had more practice."

"Clearly," Rory echoed.

"But before the beers, you had a nice day together?"

"Sure. It was fun."

"Well, that's cool."

"It is."

Lorelai stood watching Rory for a moment, wondering if the whole problem was really the hangover. Frankly, she would be amazed if two beers had made her baby girl feel quite so bad, though apparently there had been a throwing up incident last night too. Jess had been so sweet about the whole thing, apologising for not taking better care of Rory and everything. Lorelai couldn't blame him. After all, they were both eighteen, adults by law, though not the kind that were technically old enough for alcohol consumption yet. Rory could've refused the beer, but she chose to drink it. The consequences were hers to deal with.

"Sometimes what seems like a good idea at the time just smacks you upside the head a few hours later," she said, watching Rory's head come up too fast again and the green colour return to her daughter's cheeks. "You have something else bothering you, babe?" she asked then, sitting back down in the chair on the opposite side of the table. "Just because you're all grown up now, you know you can still talk to me, right? About anything, always."

"I know," said Rory, deciding not to nod her head for emphasis right now - it didn't feel as if it would end particular well. "And I do, talk to you, I mean, when I have something to talk about."

"Okay, good." Lorelai nodded. "Because I don't ever want you to think there is a single thing that we can't talk about, you know? All topics are open, everything, anything."

Rory thought about it, she really did. She gave serious consideration to just saying what was on her mind, the same thing that had been bothering her for quite a while now, ever since Jess first arrived back in the Hollow. Only one thing stopped her.

"Is Luke at the diner?"

"Yup," Lorelai confirmed, "and your brother is deep in a book, so if this is a girl thing-"

"It's not," Rory told her before reconsidering, "or I guess, maybe it is, but not the way you probably think. Mom, do you ever...? Have you ever had feelings for-?"

"Mom, I'm hungry!" Will yelled as he came barrelling into the kitchen, barely stopping in time before he crashed into the table next to Lorelai.

Rory winced at the noise and the jolt that went through the furniture. Lorelai put an arm around Will and asked him to calm down.

"Come on, let's try to be quiet and still while we get you something to eat," she advised, rising from her chair. "Rory's not feeling so well this morning."

"What's the matter?" he asked, staring at his sister.

Rory barely noticed, she was concentrating too hard on breathing evenly and swallowing down the nauseous feeling that persisted yet.

"She just has a headache and didn't sleep so well," Lorelai answered for her, physically moving Will away from the table. "Come on, let's play 'Hunt the Pop Tarts.'"

Rory wasn't sure if she was relieved by the interruption or annoyed by it. Not that she could blame her little brother either way, since he had no idea he was walking into such an important conversation. Of course, Rory was aware that her mom would probably bring this up again sometime, now she knew there was something she didn't know. Maybe by then Rory would be feeling better and know how to make her confession without it seeming like quite such a big deal. She hoped that was true, but she didn't really believe it.

* * *

Jess was vaguely aware that Tuesday was talking to him, but truthfully, he had long since stopped hearing the actual words she was saying. His mind kept wandering back to the night before, not far from a New Haven bus stop, with Rory's arms around him and her lips fixed to his in a searing kiss. He really hadn't been expecting it at all, but was prepared to admit that he had taken advantage of the moment, even though Rory was a little bit under the influence at the time.

Of course, it wasn't entirely flattering when Rory suddenly pulled out of their kiss and threw up in the gutter, but Jess would like to think the beer and maybe even the food was to blame for that reaction, not the romantic interlude. He never really found out for sure. Rory was in no state to explain herself, she just apologised a lot and then fell quiet on the bus ride home, her eyes closed as if she was sleeping for most of the trip.

He walked her back to the Crap Shack, telling her she didn't need to feel bad, it happened to everybody, but she didn't really answer. Not until he got her all the way home and she thanked him for being so good to her. At some point, he knew he was going to have to talk to her about what happened, but the morning after was unlikely to be a good time.

"Jess? Are you even listening?"

Jess shook his head free of Rory-related thoughts and looked at his sister. She did not exactly look thrilled about his ignoring her and Jess couldn't say he blamed her either.

"Sorry, Tues," he said, hoping he looked and sounded as apologetic as he felt, he was just so distracted. "What did you say?"

"I know it's dumb," she said softly, eyes down for a moment or two. "I just miss them, Mom and Dad," she clarified. "I know they suck most of the time and I hate when they fight and everything, but I still miss them. We've been here almost three whole weeks now, and I know when you asked before I said no, but... but now, I just wanna talk to them. Is that okay?" she asked then, looking up to meet Jess' eyes with a sad gaze that almost broke his heart.

"Tues, you know it's okay," he promised her. "They may be pains in the butt sometimes, but they're still our mom and dad. You can talk to them any time you want, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded. "So, now?"

"Right now," Jess assured her, getting up to fetch the phone.

He dialled in the relevant codes and then gave his sister the handset to put in the regular number. Jess watched as Tuesday put the phone to her ear and listened for someone to pick up. It must have rung at least three or four times, and he worried for his sister that nobody was going to answer, when suddenly he saw Tuesday smile.

"Hey, Mommy. It's Tuesday," she said happily.

Jess let out a breath he hardly knew he had been holding and got up again to clear the empty plates and glasses from the table. He put everything in the sink and set to washing the dishes while Tuesday had her talk with their mom. He wondered if Liz would ask when they were coming home. If she did, Jess had no idea what Tuesday might say. They hadn't talked much about how long they were staying, and the return tickets for California still hadn't been purchased. Jess had money enough to get one for Tuesday at least, knowing she would have to go back eventually, but how he would afford to go back with her and return to Connecticut again, well, he probably hadn't planned this so well.

There was a part of him that had thought he could keep his sister with him, that maybe Luke and Lorelai would pitch in and they could just raise her in Stars Hollow. She would probably be better off than going home to Liz and Jimmy, or so Jess had thought. Now he realised how stupid that idea had been. After all, she was missing her parents so much after barely three weeks. Forever was a lot longer than that.

Jess was just done with the dishes when Tuesday came over with the phone held out towards him.

"Mom wants to say hi," she explained.

"Okay," said Jess, quickly drying his hands and taking the phone. "Liz," he said shortly the moment he got it to his ear.

"Hey, there's my boy," she replied with a smile he could just hear. "How you doin', kid?"

"Pretty good," he confirmed, watching Tuesday rush over to the couch and flip on the TV. "How are things with you?"

"Pretty good," Liz echoed back. "And I mean that, they are. You know, me and your dad really listened to what you and Tuesday had to say about the way things have been around here. We're trying to figure it out, Jess. I swear we are."

He really didn't know what to say to that. Jess wanted nothing more than to believe that his parents could patch things up, but after so many years of holding onto that hope, only to be disappointed every time, it was tough to keep believing.

"Jess?"

"Still here," he assured her. "So, Jimmy's okay? No problems with Dante's?"

"He's doing good," Liz promised. "Business is booming, you know how summer is. He misses you though, both of you. Me too, actually."

"Yeah, I know." Jess sighed. "But things are cool here. Catching up with Uncle Luke and Aunt Lorelai and everything. I've been helping out in the diner too."

"Well, that's cool," Liz told him happily. "You know, you could learn a thing or two from your Uncle Luke. That big brother of mine, he is just the best guy. Nothing against your dad, I love him, I do, but Luke is just... he's solid, you know?"

"I get it. You know, I offered to help out for free but he keeps on paying me," he said with a smile he couldn't help. "He's definitely a good guy."

"No arguments here. You know, after you and Tuesday got there, he called me up, gave me a real talking to. I swear, I would not have taken that from anybody else, but Luke is... he's that guy, you know? The dependable type. The way he took on everything after Dad passed. The diner, and marrying Lorelai, being a father to Rory. It's still amazing to me."

Jess winced at the sound of those words. Not that he disagreed with anything that Liz just said, he couldn't, but the reminder that Luke was practically Rory's dad was a little much right now. It wasn't the only problem Jess could find with him and Rory pursuing some kind of romantic relationship, but it was always there. No matter what Lane said, or what he told himself, it sat in the back of his mind, niggling at him. He wondered if it bothered Rory too, if it was why she hadn't acted on what she felt until she was experiencing the buzz of alcohol last night.

"Well, I should let you go, not least 'cause this call is probably costing you a fortune."

"It's Luke's phone," said Jess with a smirk he couldn't help.

Liz laughed. "Talk to you again soon, kid. Take care of yourself and your sister, okay?"

"Always," Jess promised her. "Tell Jimmy I said hi, okay?"

"I sure will. Bye, honey."

"Bye."

They hung up then and Jess put the phone back in its stand. He leaned back on the counter, watching Tuesday giggle at whatever inane kids show she had found on the TV. She looked happy, very happy since she got a chance to talk to Liz. At some point she was going to have to go home, he was sure on that, but Jess was less clear on how his own life went from here. He wanted to go to Yale, stay in the Hollow, have things just work, but life was rarely that kind. There were always complications.

At the very least, he knew he should tell Tuesday the truth. She might only be eight, but she had a right to know that he brought her here under false pretences, that she might be going home without him sometime soon.

Jess took in a deep breath and let it out slow. He could do this. He could tell his little sister that he had to turn her whole world upside down. He could hand her back to Liz and Jimmy, whether they warring or reconciled, and live some happy life in Connecticut without any of his closest relations. It all sounded so stupid when he thought of it like that and Jess ran a hand over his face, silently cursing himself for being so foolish in the first place.

"Hey, Tues?" he called to her then. "How about going out for ice-cream for dessert?"

"Yes! Ice-cream!" she declared happily, flipping off the TV and rushing to find her shoes so they could go.

Jess laughed as he watched her go. Maybe he could just tell her later. Maybe he didn't have to say anything at all.

_To Be Continued..._


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, folks. Now, Rory finally has to face Jess after that kiss... and she isn't necessarily going to handle it well! lol**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 10

She avoided him for two whole days, but Rory knew it couldn't last forever. She had barely been able to evade her own mother for a few hours before Lorelai cornered her and asked her what she had been trying to say when they were interrupted before.

"It was like you were trying to ask me something important."

"Yeah, I was," Rory told her. "But it really doesn't matter now. I'm fine."

That last part was less truth, more lie, but honestly, at this point, two days later, Rory did feel a little less confused about Jess than she had before. Given time to think, she had decided that he absolutely could not have kissed her back, and if she just told him that her part of that whole moment was all alcohol-induced, and that she was really sorry, Rory was convinced it could all be forgotten. Of course, she was actually going to have to face Jess and make her explanation and apology for that to happen, something she had been deliberately avoiding, until suddenly she couldn't anymore.

"Rory, hi."

"Hi," she replied, shifting awkwardly in place. "Um, hi, Tuesday," she said, suddenly noticing they were not alone on the sidewalk a few paces from the diner entrance. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Tuesday nodded. "We were going inside. You wanna come?" she asked, tilting her head towards Luke's window.

"Oh, um, I don't know..."

"Actually, Tues, could you go on ahead?" Jess asked her then. "I need to talk to Rory about something."

"You want me to order?" his little sister asked, gazing up at him.

"Sure, ask Uncle Luke for a soda for me and a milkshake for you and tell him I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay," Tuesday agreed easily, squeezing between her brother and Rory to head inside.

Rory wasn't sure if she felt better or worse to be alone with Jess. It made it easier for her to talk to him about what happened in some ways, but honestly, avoiding it all for just a little bit longer might've been nice too.

"Okay, here goes," she muttered then, taking a deep breath before she began. "Jess, I'm so sorry about the other night, you know, in New Haven with the... what happened," she said awkwardly, looking everywhere but at him. "I don't know what I was thinking, just throwing myself at you like that. Like I said, I don't really drink so-"

"Rory, it's fine, I swear," Jess promised her, his hand on her arm making electricity shoot through her, even as he cut in on her explanation. "I'm the one that should be apologising. I know I never should've responded when you were drunk, I just-"

"Woah, hold on a second," Rory interrupted this time, her hands making a cutting motion in the air between them as her brow furrowed with confusion. "You... _responded_?" she checked, absolutely sure she heard him wrong because there was no other explanation.

For the first time since they ran into each other, her eyes were fixed on Jess' face, watching his expression intently. She wanted no confusion here, no possible mistake. She needed to know if he just said what she thought he said. She had to be sure this wasn't some kind of sick joke.

"Huh," he said eventually. "If you don't even remember, I guess I could've gotten away with that," he considered. "Not that that makes it okay. Also, I gotta admit, my ego is a little bruised. I'd like to think me kissing you would be a little more memorable, even with the alcohol fuzzing your brain."

"No, no, no," Rory said quickly, shaking her head.

She looked left and right, suddenly very aware that they were in a public place, even though no-one was really close enough to hear them right now. Putting a hand on Jess' chest, she backed him up around the corner a little, just in case, and then started over.

"I really need to check I have this right," she said desperately. "In New Haven, two days ago, when I kissed you, are you saying that you kissed me back?"

"Okay, now you're making me think I really wasn't supposed to," said Jess, looking as muddled as she felt as far as Rory could tell. "Rory, come on," he urged her. "I thought it was pretty clear that there was something between us."

"No," she said fast, backing up a step the moment he moved closer. "No, Jess, there can't be something between us," she insisted. "How can there be? We can't just..."

She didn't have the words, because when she met his eyes then and saw the truth of how he felt, when she replayed the words he had said about something being between them, it was tough to recall why this was so wrong, but it was, she knew it was.

"I have to go," she said fast, turning on her heel and bolting.

"Rory!" Jess called after her, stepping forward to give chase, before remembering he really couldn't.

Not only had he left Tuesday in the diner, but he was also supposed to be working this afternoon too. He watched helplessly as Rory reached the bus stop and jumped on the vehicle seconds before it drove away. She wouldn't even look at him as it passed by, headed out of town.

Jess turned and kicked the corner of the building, pointless as that was. He always knew the post-kiss conversation with Rory was going to be awkward, but he really hadn't thought she would literally run away from him. It didn't seem as if she didn't like him, only that maybe she thought she shouldn't. It made Jess wonder if he had been stupid to ever think that something happening between him and Rory could be anything but weird and wrong. All he knew was that when he was around her, he was the happiest he had been in a long time, and when they kissed, it really hadn't seemed wrong at all, it had felt absolutely right. Clearly, out of the two of them, he was the only one.

* * *

The second Rory was brought into the living room where Paris was sat alone, she launched into a hysterical speech, hardly even letting the maid leave the room and close the door behind her before she began.

"I just need you to tell me that I'm sick and crazy and completely out of my mind," she insisted, pacing up and down behind the couch. "If anyone can make me feel bad enough about this whole thing that I just stop being so gross already, then I trust it to be you, Paris. I mean, come on, you're really good at it, and sometimes, I say that like it's an insult, and I'm sorry, because you have a gift, my friend, a gift for making people feel really bad about things, and right now, I need you to use it on me, please."

Paris narrowed her eyes at her friend. "For God's sake, Gilmore-Danes, stop wearing a line in my mother's imported rug and tell me what the hell you're babbling about. I have better things to do than play verbal charades."

"I'm talking about me, being sick and twisted and... I'm talking about me and Jess," she said desperately, fingers digging into the headrest cushions of the couch as she forced herself not to pace up and down anymore. "Help me, Paris Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."

Paris rolled her eyes at the reference, the patheticness of Rory right now, and the ability she had to make such references even when she was in the middle of being so desperately pathetic.

"Sit down," she urged Rory, moving herself from the middle of the couch to one end so they could actually share the space and have a reasonable conversation. "Now, start from the beginning, in coherent sentences. Jess, the guy you said was your cousin but actually he's just your step-father's nephew?"

"That would be him," Rory agreed. "He came to visit, he's still visiting, in Stars Hollow."

"Okay." Paris nodded once. "So?"

"So, he's changed a lot in nine years," said Rory, shifting awkwardly and looking mostly at her hands.

"Most people do change a lot from ages nine to eighteen, Rory. It's a fairly standard advancement in the biology of the human body," she explained, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, well, Jess' advancements are pretty... _advanced_," her friend explained, shaking her head. "I know I'm not supposed to notice but I did and..."

She took a moment to catch her breath and then launched into the whole explanation. How Jess had showed up looking so good, how he had proven to be just as kind and sweet and funny as she recalled him being when they were kids, with the added bonuses of also being a good brother, a really intelligent guy, and attractive in just about every way a person could be. Rory told Paris how she and Jess shared secrets and how they had gone to visit New Haven together. She explained about the kissing and then the conversation that happened barely an hour before, churning out words faster and faster, until she finally reached the end of the tale.

"Which only proves that as well as being a disgusting person myself, I've also inspired Jess to be just as depraved as I am. I mean, what is the matter with us?"

"You really want me to answer that?" Paris checked. "Because my assessment is simple. As far as I can tell, there is nothing especially wrong with Jess, but you? You're unhinged, and before you tell me you figured that out already, you should also know how I came up with that explanation. Rory, you're not just making a mountain out of a molehill, you're making one out of an anthill," she insisted crossly. "I mean, what is your problem? Jess is _not_ your cousin. You're not related by blood. You weren't even raised together for that long," she recapped. "We covered this before the guy even showed up. You. Are. Not. Related. To. Him," she said, enunciating each of those last few words overly clearly. "So, if you like him and he likes you, you don't have a problem. What you have is a perfect storm of teenage hormones and pure dumb luck. So, go for it, enjoy yourself while you have the chance."

Rory opened her mouth to respond to all of that, but never got the chance. Paris' cell started ringing loudly on the table and she moved quickly to answer it.

"Louise, make it fast. I have Rory here and she's pretty much in crisis mode..."

It didn't really matter what Paris was saying about her to their mutual friend, Rory wasn't paying attention. Her mind was racing with everything that Paris had just said to her. She really had come here hoping to be told off the way only Paris could until she absolutely stopped thinking of Jess _that_ way, but it seemed it just wasn't going to happen. Paris clearly didn't see anything wrong in Rory and Jess being close that way, and the way Paris had explained it did make Rory feel profoundly stupid.

It was true that she and Jess were not actually related, she always knew that, but she never let herself really consider it too deeply, for sentimental reasons, she supposed. Luke wasn't her father, but he had been a better dad than anyone else she knew, and William had been such a wonderful grandpa too. Allowing herself to like Jess this way was denying the Danes family as her own, but in reality, it was only the truth, plain and unvarnished, the way Paris always liked to tell it.

"That was Louise," said Paris herself as she returned to the couch and put the phone back on the table. "Mostly, she wanted to remind me about the party tonight, as if I could forget," she said, sighing heavily. "She asked me to convince you to come along. Did you tell her no?"

"Um, yeah." Rory nodded absently. "She called and asked me but... well, I haven't really been in much of a party mood."

"Well, as much as I'm hardly an advocate of the whole restorative party idea, I actually think you should come along," said Paris thoughtfully.

Rory frowned at her. "Why?"

"Because, you need to get out of that quaint little town of yours, where no doubt you feel as if the homely townsfolk are judging when you so much as look at Jess," Paris explained. "They've warped your perspective," she insisted. "When you were away from that place, in New Haven, you saw more clearly. You allowed yourself to act on your feelings for Jess without regret."

"Pretty sure some of that was the beer talking, Paris."

"From what you said, it was less talking, more sticking your tongue down Jess' throat," she countered smartly. "Either way, come to Louise's party. You could even bring the guy along, show him a good time," she suggested. "It might be easier for you two to be away from Stars Hollow for a night and just be yourselves."

Rory considered Paris' idea and realised it certainly wasn't a bad one. Maybe she was letting everyone else's idea of what she and Jess should be to each other cloud her judgement. At Louise's party, no-one would know Jess was her pseudo-cousin, he could just be her friend, her date even. Well, Paris would know, but apparently, for once, she wasn't judging. There was Louise and Madeline too, but one was likely to not care and the other was likely not to remember ever having the conversation in the first place, truth be told.

"You know, what, Paris? I think you might have just come up with a really good idea," said Rory, smiling for the first time that day.

Paris rolled her eyes and sighed. "Tell me something I don't know."

_To Be Continued..._


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks, as always, to those who left reviews. Paris laid down the law and now it's party time! ;)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 11

Jess wasn't sure what to expect when his cell rang and he checked the screen to find it was Rory calling. Technically, he was working, but he hadn't taken a break yet and they weren't exactly rushed off their feet.

"Taking my ten," he told his uncle.

Luke lifted a hand to let Jess know he heard but didn't actually look up at all from the receipts he was checking. Jess slipped out back into the store room, unsure yet how exactly this conversation might go.

"Hey," he said when he finally answered the call.

"Hi, Jess. Um, so, I think I owe you another apology."

"Rory-"

"No, please," she cut in. "Let me get this out, because I feel stupid enough about it already."

"Go for it," Jess told her, unsure exactly what he expected to hear as he sat himself down on a crate and waited.

"Okay. So, I was feeling a little weird about what happened the other day. I was a little... well, there was beer, you know that, you were there, and it made me do something I probably wouldn't have otherwise done. However, that doesn't mean I didn't want to do what I did, and by that, I mean the whole kissing thing."

"I definitely remember the whole kissing thing," Jess assured her, glad she couldn't see him smirking about it, since he doubted she would appreciate it somehow.

"Well, yes, and apparently, you were into it too, the whole kissing thing," Rory continued, clearing her throat. "Which seems like a good thing, that we both had the same idea, but... I don't know, Jess, I just freaked out. I mean, you're Jess, you're... you've always been..."

"I get it," he assured her, knowing she was never going to find the words because he wasn't sure that he could either, not really. "There's an awkward family-related thing mixed up in this."

"Yes, exactly!" Rory agreed, sounding relieved that he saw it too. "It's just that Stars Hollow, the people in town, they see us one way, and I think I saw us that way for a long time, but that's only because I hadn't actually seen you. Am I making any sense?"

"Perfect sense," Jess promised. "Although you started this call telling me you wanted to make an apology. For what?"

"Oh, that was for the running away before," said Rory awkwardly. "Not my finest hour. Certainly not my most adult behaviour."

"You freaked out, it happens," said Jess, shrugging his shoulders, even though she couldn't see. "I get it, Rory. Trust me, when I came here, I never expected to... I never expected this," he said instead, unsure how exactly to define things with them yet.

"Okay." Rory sighed with great relief one more time. "So, here's my plan. A friend of mine is having a party tonight, in Hartford," she explained then. "Originally, I wasn't going to go but Louise can be pretty insistent, as can my other friend, Paris, and basically, I was wondering, would you wanna go with me?"

"To a party in Hartford?" Jess checked. "Rory, are you asking me on a date?"

There was a smirk that went with that question too, though it fast became a genuine smile at the very idea of what was happening. Of course, when Jess could practically hear Rory squirming on the other end of the phone, it was a little less flattering.

"Um, kinda, yeah," she admitted eventually. "I'm sorry, Jess, this really isn't about you, or it is, but I never exactly asked a guy out before."

"There's a first time for everything," he told her easily, "and for what it's worth, you can mark your first try down as a success. I'll go to the party with you."

"Oh. Okay, that's... that's good," Rory decided eventually.

"If I can convince Tuesday she really wants to sleep over at your house tonight," Jess added as the thought occurred to him. "Which I doubt will be too hard since she and Will are all about spending time together lately. Your mom will be cool with that, right?"

"Very cool," said Rory with perhaps too much enthusiasm. "I mean, yes, I'm sure she'll be okay with Tuesday having a sleepover. Um, so, if you drop her off around seven, I'll be ready for the party and I can drive us over?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Okay, it's a date."

"Freaking out again?" he checked, sure he could hear it in her voice.

"Maybe a little," Rory admitted, "but actually, I think I'm kind of starting to like it."

Jess laughed at that, he couldn't help it. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

Rory didn't know how to tell Luke and her mom about asking Jess out on a date, so she just didn't. Of course, they knew she was going to a party and that she was taking Jess along with her, but there was no mention of the evening being in any way date-like. It didn't even seem to cross their minds that it might be and Rory wasn't sure if she was happy about that or disappointed. She chose not to examine her feelings too closely, since she was having way too many other feelings already.

Checking herself over in the mirror, she contemplated her sixth outfit choice and still wasn't convinced it was right. It was a party so she wanted to make an effort. It was also a date which ought to mean a little _extra_ effort actually. At the same time, she was aware of going overboard and either making her mom and Luke suspicious or being too obvious in front of Jess. It was a nightmare making a choice by herself and she couldn't even ask her mom for advice.

When she heard the knock on the door and knew it had to be Jess and Tuesday, Rory walked out into the hall, feeling awkward. That feeling really didn't go away at all when Tuesday spotted her and gasped.

"Wow, you really are like a princess."

"Oh, thank you," she said, glancing down at her outfit. "I may have overdone the sparkles a little," she realised aloud, given the rhinestones on her shirt and in the belt of her skirt too.

"No, you look beautiful," Tuesday insisted. "Doesn't she, Jess?"

Rory looked up to find Jess staring at her, looking particularly good himself, she noted.

"Rory always looks great," he confirmed, smiling at her even as he answered his sister. "Um, so we should go," he said then, crouching down to Tuesday's height. "You have fun with Will and behave yourself for Aunt Lorelai and Uncle Luke, okay? I'll come pick you up in the morning."

"Have fun at your party," she told him with a grin. "And bring me back cake."

"I don't think it's a birthday party, Tues," he told her, looking up at Rory. "Is it?"

"No, not for a birthday, sorry," she apologised to Tuesday who seemed to stop caring about it the moment Will got down the stairs.

The kids rushed off together just as Lorelai returned to the scene.

"Wow, look at the two of you," she said, glancing between Rory and Jess. "Very stylish, twice over," she told them with a grin.

Both Rory and Jess muttered awkward thank yous before rushing to the door, with Rory promising she wouldn't be too late, and Jess saying he would be by in the morning for Tuesday. They sighed with relief at the very same moment as they emerged on the porch.

"I'm so sorry." Rory shook her head. "I just didn't know how to tell her-"

"It's fine, I get it," Jess assured her. "When we have something worth telling them, then we can. For now, let's just see where the evening takes us, okay?" he suggested, offering Rory his hand.

"Okay," she agreed, placing her hand into his and smiling widely as he took hold, leading her down the porch steps towards the car.

* * *

The moment Rory and Jess arrived at the party and met by the car, he reached for her hand again and she happily let him take it. It felt kind of strange and yet also weirdly familiar. After all, they had held hands before, the difference was, when they were children it was entirely a friends thing. It was certainly very different now.

Louise was quick to pounce the second they came through the door, Madeline on her heels, as always. If either of them remembered Rory talking about Jess before, they didn't mention it, and the word 'cousin' never came up once as she made introductions. She did, however, catch Louise mouthing 'so jealous' at her from behind Jess at one point, which made her grin.

"Did I miss something?" he asked Rory as the girls wandered away.

"Louise thinks you're hot," she told him straight.

"Huh. I'm... flattered?" he said uncertainly.

"I wouldn't get too ego-boosted about it." Rory shook her head. "Louise changes boys more often than most people change socks."

"So, I'm _not_ hot?" he checked, smirking terribly as Rory blushed beet red.

"You know how you look," she told him, folding her arms across her chest uncomfortably. "I'm not used to looking at you that way. It's still a little strange."

"Yeah, for me too," Jess considered. "But for the record, Tuesday was not wrong. You do look beautiful. I think that hit me about half a second after I walked into the diner a couple of weeks ago."

Rory glanced at him and then away fast, tucking her hair behind her ear. She felt so weirdly self-conscious around Jess now they had both agreed they liked each other _that_ way. Maybe bringing him to a party to talk it through hadn't been her greatest idea. Of course, it was actually more Paris' idea than her own, but Rory had agreed to it. She must've had a reason.

"Hey, Gilmore-Danes," said Paris herself as she appeared out of the crowd with plastic cups in her hands. "Thought maybe you'd need a little courage for what's to come," she told Rory in a low voice as she handed over a cup.

"This is...?"

"Louise's special recipe punch," she confirmed, handing off another glass to Jess.

"That doesn't sound dangerous at all," he dead-panned, staring at the strangely pink liquid. "And you are?"

"Jess, this is Paris. Paris, Jess," Rory introduced, waving her free hand between them.

Paris looked Jess over like he was a bug under the microscope then nodded her head as she turned back to Rory.

"Based on what I can see, not bad. Maybe you do have taste after all," she said then before turning and walking back into the crowd.

"She has questions about your taste?" Jess asked, testing the punch and wincing as it coated his tongue.

"She never really liked Dean, my ex," Rory explained, moving her own cup towards her lips.

Jess intercepted and pulled her arm back down. "Trust me, you're probably not going to want to drink that."

"That bad?"

"That bad," he confirmed, putting both cups down on the edge of the table. "So, do we have to dance?" he checked, not looking thrilled about the idea.

"Um, only if you want to," said Rory, shifting awkwardly, just as the fast song ended and a slow number came on instead.

"I think I want to." Jess nodded, holding out his hand to Rory.

She took it as eagerly as she had the last two times, shivering in the best way when Jess pulled her into his arms and took hold. Her hands clasped behind his neck as they swayed to the music amongst so many other couples. It still felt a little strange, at first, but certainly not bad. Somehow it was easier to see Jess as her date here, where there were no reminders of their other connection.

"You know, I have been fighting so hard not to feel the way I've been feeling since you came here to visit," she admitted, barely looking at Jess because she was so ashamed of herself. "I mean, I was expecting things to be like they were before, which is pretty dumb when you consider how long it's been since we last saw each other. And anyway, it's not as if it's so wrong for us to like each other. I guess I just never thought you'd like me, you know, _that_ way," she said pointedly, finally forcing herself to meet his eyes.

"Well, just to be clear..." said Jess, one hand sliding up from her waist to push her hair back from her face.

The next moment, he was kissing her, and Rory was kissing him back, unafraid of the consequences, not caring who saw or what they thought about it. It didn't feel bad, it didn't feel wrong, it just felt really, really good.

* * *

"I will freely admit that I was not sure about the whole party at your fancy friend's house thing," said Jess as Rory pulled the car up outside of the diner, "but when you called and asked, I figured I'd go anywhere just to get to spend time alone with you."

"That's sweet," Rory told him giddily, "but you really hated the party?"

"Actually, it wasn't so bad." Jess shrugged. "Some of your friends are... an acquired taste," he said carefully, "but I have to admit, I had a pretty good time."

"Me too." Rory nodded. "I'm really glad we did this."

Now they were back in Stars Hollow, Rory was just a little skittish, and yet when Jess leaned across the gear shift towards her, she felt the need to meet him in the middle and sink into a really good kiss that left her breathless when they parted.

Jess got out of the car then and Rory found herself following. One more kiss goodnight wouldn't hurt, under the cover of darkness with nobody around to see.

"You wanna come in for a while?" Jess asked hopefully, the moment she was at his side, looking up at the apartment over the diner.

Rory's eyes followed the same path and she seriously thought about it. This was Jess, she could trust him, and yet, all of a sudden, it seemed like kind of a big deal to be alone together like that.

"I meant for coffee," he assured her when she looked set to say no. "Rory, come on, I wasn't-"

"I know," she said, nodding her head. "I know, it's just... things are so different with us now. Like I said before, I really never expected to feel this way about you."

It was too much effort not to be kissing him then and she fell into the moment as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He seemed to take her actions as a positive response to his question about her coming inside for coffee, and Rory didn't correct him as Jess took her hand and led her in through the back door and around to the stairs.

They were almost to the apartment door when Jess stopped abruptly and Rory nearly ran into his back. He turned to shush her the moment she opened her mouth to speak, making gestures that suggested he thought someone was in the apartment. Rory looked through the frosted glass of the door and swore she saw movement too. A light was definitely on, which Jess clearly knew he had turned out when he left.

Making it clear that Rory should stay back, Jess suddenly burst through the door, ready for whatever danger lay beyond. He got a real shock when he saw the truth of the situation.

"Liz?"

_To Be Continued..._


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, folks. It was going so well for a while there, wasn't it? Will Liz make the situation better or worse...?**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 12

"Liz?"

"There's my boy!" Jess' mom came flying across the apartment, throwing her arms around him in the biggest hug of his life. "Oh, you have no idea how much I've missed you."

Jess hugged Liz back on instinct more than anything. He was honestly completely thrown by her sudden presence in not just the apartment, but Stars Hollow in general. It took him a minute before he could verbalise, and even then, she didn't exactly give him a chance to speak.

"Geez, this isn't little Rory," said Liz, suddenly spotting her by the door. "Look at you, you're gorgeous, and so much like your mom," she enthused, moving towards her. "You remember your Aunt Liz, right?"

"Of course." Rory smiled nervously. "Hey," she greeted Jess' mom then, accepting the hug that was clearly coming her way since she had no idea how to avoid it.

Jess caught sight of her panicked expression over Liz's shoulder and winced. Of course 'Aunt Liz' had to identify herself that way, hammering home how Rory and Jess were cousins in the eyes of their family. Just when things had been going so well too.

"We have so much catching up to do, sweetheart," Liz was telling Rory then.

"Yeah, I guess we do." Rory nodded. "But right now, I think I should probably head home. You do know Tuesday is at our house, right?"

"Didn't really have time to think about it yet, but that makes sense." Liz smiled widely. "You kids been out on the town together?"

"We went to a party. One of Rory's friends in Hartford," Jess explained flatly. "Liz, what are you doing here? If you haven't been to the house, how'd you even get in the apartment?"

"Slow down, man," Liz urged him, making placating gestures with both hands. "He always has to know everything," she said out of the side of her mouth to Rory, "but then I guess that inquisitive mind of his is how come he did so well in school and everything."

"I guess so," Rory agreed. "Well, I'm gonna go..." she said again, practically running out of the door.

Jess watched her leave and then stared at the closed door for a second or two. This was not at all how he saw this night ending and he wasn't exactly happy about it either.

"She's grown up so pretty," Liz said, shaking her head. "I mean, she was cute as a button when you guys were kids but wow, so much like Lorelai, isn't she?"

Jess really could not discuss how Rory looked with his mother, not now, possibly not ever.

"You still didn't tell me why you're here, or _how_ you're here," he corrected. "Did you break in?"

"Would I break in to my own brother's diner?" Liz asked him, rolling her eyes. "There's a spare key on the ledge above the door. It's been that way since I was younger than you are now. Some things don't change," she said knowingly before heading back into the kitchen area where she appeared to have been making tea before Jess and Rory arrived.

"That explains how you got into this building, it doesn't tell me why you're here," Jess reminded her, following behind her. "Where's Jimmy?"

"California, I guess." Liz shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't ask what his plans were."

She kept her back to Jess when she said it, which was far more telling than the words she was actually saying, or the ones that she wasn't saying. He moved up close beside her, his hand on hers stilling any further movement to make tea or whatever else she wanted to do to distract from this conversation.

"Mom," he said, knowing that would get her full attention. "What happened?"

Liz was a pretty tough cookie. Sure, she used other means to get through hard times on occasion, but she didn't break so easy. That was why when Jess saw tears welling in her eyes he started to panic a little bit, on the inside, at least.

"I'm starting to think maybe you had a point about your dad and me," Liz said sadly, looking at Jess. "I don't know what happened to us, we used to be so happy, at least, I think we did. Now I can't help wondering if I'm remembering it wrong. All we do these days is fight. If it's not one thing, it's another. It's not all Jimmy's fault, I'm just as bad. We just... we don't get along anymore," she said, shrugging her shoulders helplessly.

None of this was news to Jess, of course, but to hear Liz say it, to see and hear her being so affected by it, that was different, and he didn't like it much. All the time that Jess was sort of hoping his parents would just call it quits, get divorced and have done with it, there was always a part of him that hoped for better, that believed maybe they could patch things up if they just tried. The tiny flame of hope in his heart sputtered and faded as he watched his mom sink down into a chair and just cry.

"I'm so sorry, Jess," she told him, wiping at her cheeks with the backs of her hands. "It really shouldn't have taken us this long to face up to things. Everything we've put you and Tuesday through..."

"Hey, we survived. We're still here," he promised her, crouching down by the chair and taking her hands into his. "There are worse parents in the world than you and Jimmy," he told her definitely.

"Wow, that's a real compliment," she dead-panned, smiling through her tears. "We're not the worst."

Jess smirked back at her. "It's not like I've always been the greatest kid either," he admitted.

Liz shook her head. "Nah, you actually have," she told him, her hand at his cheek now. "You've always done your best by your sister, you worked hard in school, and when things got too bad with me and your dad, you were the one to tell us we had to get our acts together or else. You're the best kid, Jess," she promised him. "I'm actually amazed you turned out so normal after everything."

The word 'normal' struck somewhere deep inside of Jess and he rose to his feet feeling uncomfortable. He wasn't sure he was okay with being described that way. He wasn't sure Liz would still use the same word if she realised that he and Rory hadn't just been to a party tonight, but out on a date together.

"Uh, so, Tuesday is sleeping over at the house tonight," he explained, running a hand back through his hair. "You can take her bed and then... I don't know what happens tomorrow."

"Me either," Liz admitted. "I mean, me being here, it wasn't much of a plan. It was just one more fight with your father and then... then it was more than that. I think maybe this time we reached a point where we both realised we needed some time and space," she said with a sad sigh. "I honestly don't know whether that means we can figure things out or whether the only solution is... is letting each other go."

Jess nodded that he understood, half-sad and half-relieved at the turn of events, at least until his mind went to his sister and what she might think of all of this.

"Tuesday will be happy you're here," he told Liz, "but the whole you and Jimmy maybe splitting up thing..."

"I'll find a way around that, for a little while at least," she told him. "Smart as she is, she's still too young to understand everything."

There was no way for Jess to argue with that, though he did worry for Tuesday in this whole situation. If Jimmy moved out, that left his kid sister alone with Liz, who wasn't exactly responsible a hundred percent of the time. With Jess planning to stick around in Connecticut and attend Yale... suddenly, that dream felt like it could all too easily slip away. It was strange how quickly he had adjusted to life in Stars Hollow, being nearer to Uncle Luke and Aunt Lorelai, being so close with Rory.

"Jess?" Liz's voice cut through his thoughts and he was suddenly aware of her stood in front of him looking concerned. "You okay, kid?"

"Sure, yeah," he told her, nodding his head and just about managing to force a smile too. "Just tired... from the party."

Liz stared at him too long, even as she nodded that she understood. Jess had a feeling his mother suspected there was much more to this whole situation than he was telling her, and of course, she was right about that, but now wasn't the time to explain. Maybe in the morning.

* * *

Rory crept into the house, highly aware that Will and Tuesday would definitely be in bed, maybe even her mom and Luke too. She slipped through from the hall towards her bedroom, started when she realised there was somebody sat at the kitchen table.

"Hey," she said softly, forcing a smile for Luke. "Um, did you wait up for me?"

"Sort of," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "Your mom was so tired but she wanted to know you got home safe, so I volunteered. You have a good time at the party?"

"Yeah, it was... fun," said Rory awkwardly, shifting in place.

It wasn't just that she felt weird talking to Luke about what was effectively a date with his nephew, it was also that she was wondering what she should or shouldn't say about Jess' mom being in town. Eventually, she moved to sit down on the other side of the table, opposite Luke, summoning all her courage to spit out the truth.

"Rory?" he prompted before she quite managed it. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay," she promised, smiling genuinely at his forever-present fatherly concern. "I have to tell you something. When I dropped Jess off at the diner, he had a visitor. Aunt Liz is here."

"Liz is in Stars Hollow?" Luke checked, eyes wide with surprise.

Rory nodded her head. "She's at the apartment, with Jess. I'm not sure why, I didn't feel like it was my business, so I came straight home. She knows Tuesday is staying over here tonight and, well, I think she and Jess have things to talk about. I guess she'll be by in the morning."

Luke sighed and ran a hand over his face. "God knows how that will turn out. Jimmy's not here?" he checked with Rory then.

"Not that I know of," she confirmed. "I didn't know whether I should say anything, but it always feels wrong to have secrets from you."

Rory winced at her own words, feeling keenly the dual meaning of what she just said. She may not have kept Liz's visit from Luke, but she was still holding onto a secret that was so much bigger. If he knew she and Jess had been on a date tonight, that they had been acting much less like family, much more like a couple...

"Rory," said Luke then, his hand over hers on the table. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I mean, I get that you and Lorelai... well, it's different with girls and their moms, and with me being..."

"Please, don't," Rory urged him, eyes dipping to the table as the tears came. "You know what you mean to me, Luke. It's true that I have a father, but Christopher was never... I mean, you know, right?" she said, looking up at him then, hoping he understood because for once in her life Rory just didn't have words, beyond the obvious. "I love you."

Luke swallowed hard and then nodded his head. "I know, and I love you too, Rory. You know I do. For me, you will always be as much my daughter as Will is my son."

It should have made Rory feel better, actually it almost made her feel worse, like she really had betrayed him by allowing anything at all to happen between herself and Jess. Luke was her father, in everything but blood. She felt sick all over again.

"I should go to bed," she said, swallowing hard as she rose to go. "Maybe you should too, before mom wakes up and worries where you are."

She looked back from her bedroom door to find Luke staring after her. Rory wondered for a moment if he was going to say anything else, something significant, but no.

"Goodnight, Rory."

"'Night, Luke," she replied, silent tears streaming down her face as she closed the door behind her.

_To Be Continued..._


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So, everyone's just thrilled that Liz showed up, huh? Yeah, it seems like maybe not so much, but have faith, people, you know the Literati is going to work out, come what may, and in this 'verse, Liz really isn't as bad as she was in canon. Also, this chapter is dedicated to my constant reviewer and all around good egg, ****jordana60****, as I believe it is her birthday today :)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 13

The events of the morning ran almost exactly as everyone thought they would. Jess came over to the Crap Shack with his mom in tow to pick up Tuesday and, naturally, the little girl was thrilled to see her mother. Liz told a white lie to cover for Jimmy's absence and then Lorelai was coming up with some outlandish reason why she should take Will and Tuesday to Sookie's house for breakfast. It was clearly a ploy to leave Luke and Liz alone to talk about what was going on and Jess could see it from a mile away. That didn't mean he wasn't happy to vacate the premises and avoid the crazy sibling fight that was bound to come next.

"You could come to Sookie's with us," Lorelai offered as they hit the front porch. "You're coming, right, Rory?"

"Um, I guess," her daughter agreed, looking sideways at Jess and then away again fast when she realised he saw her do it.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna take a walk," he admitted. "You wanna come along?" he asked Rory, hoping she couldn't come up with an excuse to say no - there was a lot she wouldn't say in front of Lorelai, that much he did know.

"Um, well..." she began, shifting awkwardly.

"That's okay, sweets, you go with Jess if you want," Lorelai assured her quickly. "I got the Wonder Twins to keep me company, right, team?" she said to Will and Tuesday.

"Yes!" they both cheered happily, tearing off down the drive way so fast that Lorelai had to hurry to catch up.

They were gone before Rory could change her mind and tag along, though Jess regretfully noted that she looked like she wished she could.

"You know if you really wanted to go..." he said, watching her carefully.

"No, it's fine." Rory shook her head. "Let's walk," she said, with a smile that seemed forced.

Jess didn't call her on it, not this time. They set off side by side, down the street to nowhere in particular. Jess wanted to talk to her, about a lot of things actually, but even after lying awake half the night thinking about where to start, he still wasn't sure he knew. It was a relief when Rory finally spoke first, even if she wasn't exactly on the topic that he was hoping for.

"So, what does it mean that your mom is here?"

"I have no idea," Jess admitted, shaking his head. "I'm not even sure she knows, honestly. I mean, from what she said, she and Jimmy have had some pretty serious talks since me and Tues split, but I'm not sure they really resolved anything."

"Well, at least she hasn't left your dad, right?"

Jess shrugged his shoulders. "Again, not even sure she knows." he admitted. "And if she does, she's not telling me."

"Maybe she'll tell Luke," Rory considered.

"Maybe," Jess agreed, watching her as they walked slowly along.

It bothered him that she wouldn't look at him, though he chose not to think too much about why. When he reached for her hand, trying to take it in his own, she snatched her fingers from his grasp as if he burnt her. That was much harder to ignore.

"Jess, please, don't," she said, folding her arms across her chest, presumably so he couldn't try it again.

"I'm sorry," he said, a little bemused by her extreme reaction. "You seemed okay with way more than that last night..."

"That was different," Rory insisted, walking faster and managing to get a couple of paces ahead of Jess before he hardly realised what was happening.

Rory followed the path down past the school and ended up at the lake, though Jess suspected that was more by accident than by design. He stopped for a second to see what she would do, where she would go. A weird kind of relief swept over him as he watched her walk out onto the bridge and sit down in their usual spot. He moved quickly to join her before she changed her mind.

"So," he said, eyes fixed on the water. "We should probably talk about this."

"About what?" Rory asked, feigning innocence.

"Seriously?" he checked, turning to meet her eyes and barely managing it before she glanced away again. "Rory, come on."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Jess."

"Really? Because I think you probably do."

Whether that was true or not, Rory wasn't biting. She was hugging herself as if she were cold, though it was warm enough outside, that couldn't possibly be the reason. It was as if she thought she could roll herself into a ball and hide, like some small creature in defence mode. Jess hated to know he was causing that in her, but they really had to talk this out.

"Rory, you... you're probably my best friend in the whole world," he told her straight. "I've never had another person in my life that I can talk to like I can talk to you. I know there was a really big gap in there where we didn't see each other, but now you're back in my life, I do not wanna lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either," she admitted, arms releasing just a little as she looked at him then. "Jess, I was so excited to have you come back here, and I love that we get along so well, and... and yes, last night was great," she admitted, bringing the smile back to his face if not her own. "But then in the apartment, with Aunt Liz..." she continued, voice faltering. "It's wrong, Jess. This thing between us, it's just wrong."

"Then why does it feel right?" he asked, daring to shift a little closer. "Rory, what is so wrong with us liking each other? I know our families are close, I get that. They thought it was cute to treat us like cousins when we were kids, and I guess it made sense at the time, but we're not. There is no blood between you and me, no connection, not that way," he insisted. "What we have, it's a different kind of connection. I feel it, and based on last night, and even the couple of weeks before that, I know you feel it too."

He really, really wanted to kiss her, but after the way she reacted to him just trying to hold her hand, Jess wouldn't risk it. He got as close as he dare and then he waited for Rory, hoping rather than believing she would close the final distance between them.

"Jess, I... I don't know," she admitted helplessly, tears evidently welling in her eyes. "I feel so confused by all of this. I never expected..."

Words seem to fail her then, but it didn't matter. The fact her lips were soon against his proved that to Jess that he was right. She did feel the same, he had been so sure, but Rory proved it as she kissed him and didn't try to get away when he kissed her back. Her arms wrapped around him, his hands found their way into her hair, and they were just lost in each other for a minute or two.

When they finally parted, both breathing unsteadily, there were tears on her cheeks but a smile on her lips, nonetheless.

"Why does it have to be so complicated?" she said shakily, eyes falling shut as he pressed his forehead against her own.

"Because everything worth having always is, I guess," he told her, fingers running through the length of her hair as he straightened it out for her. "Rory, I know this isn't going to be easy, in so many ways, but right now, complicated as this is, you're the one thing in my life that makes sense to me," he admitted, pulling back a little to meet her eyes, holding her face in both his hands now. "I don't know what's going to happen with my parents, or my sister, or if I'm gonna get to go to Yale or not. Everything is just... I can't even think about it right now. All I know is when I'm with you, I know it's all gonna be okay, somehow. That's what you make me feel."

"That's so weird," she said, smiling up at him. "I was just thinking how everything in my life makes sense _except_ for how I feel about you," she admitted. "But..." she added fast, her hand on his, keeping it at her cheek when it began to slip away, "at the same time, I know what you said before is true. I know that, no matter what, this does feel so right, and that it will all be okay, somehow."

Jess slowly nodded his head in agreement, then leaned down to kiss her one more time. He just knew that if he had Rory with him, he could do anything.

* * *

"Come on, Liz, you can't just keep on saying, 'I don't know' to every question!"

"I can if it's the only answer I've got, Luke," she countered stubbornly. "What else do you want me to say?"

When he looked at her then, Luke knew he had no answer to her question but the one she was so fond of giving today, 'I don't know.' Pulling out a chair, he sat down at the table and made a big deal of adjusting his hat. He caught Liz smiling and felt like telling her to shut up even though she never said a word. She may be infuriating sometimes, but she was still his little sister and he loved her. The trouble was that she was as much of a pain in the ass now as she had been when they were kids, and teenagers, and young adults.

"I keep waiting for you to grow up but you never do," he said, leaning his arms on the table.

"Says the guy that has been an adult since he was barely out of diapers," said Liz, mirroring his position.

"You don't remember that far back," said Luke snippily.

"Whatever you say, big brother." His sister rolled her eyes. "My point is, it is not my fault that you had a handle on life faster than I did, same as it's not my fault you got the good marriage and I didn't."

"You picked Jimmy," said Luke with a look.

"When I was seventeen!" Liz exclaimed. "Come on, Luke, a lot changes in almost twenty years. People move on, they grow, they change... 'cept maybe for you."

"I've been with Lorelai almost as long as you've been with Jimmy, we're still fine," Luke pointed out.

"Some people grow together, get even closer," she said, entwining all her fingers to illustrate her point. "Other people grow apart," she concluded, palms together fingers of both hands bending out backwards as far as she could push them. "I don't know, Luke. Maybe my marriage can be saved, who knows? All I knew for sure was I had to get out. You know, Jess was right. He saw this coming from way back. It's why he came here, why he brought Tuesday along. I get what he was trying to do," she said, nodding her head and smiling then. "It's weird but he is way more like you than he is ever like me or Jimmy," she mused. "And sometimes, outta nowhere, I look at him and I just see Dad."

Luke was still trying to be mad at Liz up to that point, but at those words he failed completely, a smile curving his lips.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I've seen that too, a couple of times since he's been here. It's strange, but nice."

"Totally," Liz agreed wholeheartedly. "Man, you know what he would be saying if he were here right now, right? Dad, I mean."

"He'd understand that you did your best but sometimes relationships just don't work out," said Luke without hesitation. "He was pretty good at just accepting whatever life threw his way."

They seemed to have reached an impasse in what had been a pretty lame fight anyway. A comfortable silence descended over the kitchen as the Danes siblings took a quiet moment to each remember their father with fondness.

"So," said Luke after a while, taking a deep breath, "what happens now? I mean, are you staying here or...?"

"For now, sure." Liz nodded. "I figure I'll hang around a few days, catch up with all the Stars Hollow folks and everything, and then I can head back home with the kids. After that, I guess me and Jimmy are gonna have to make the tough choices, you know, do we try to make it work? If not, who moves out? What happens with Tuesday and all?"

Luke nodded his understanding, only really noticing for the first time today that Liz looked sad about her potentially impending divorce. He reached to cover her hand with his own on the table.

"You need anything, we're all here for you, Liz. Always," he promised her.

"I know that," she said, smiling bravely. "You always were the best big brother in the world, and hey, I got a lot to be happy about. Looks like my kiddos have been having a great time here these past couple of weeks. I see Tuesday's artwork on the fridge right there," she said, tilting her head towards the refrigerator, "and Jess sure has gotten close with Rory, huh?"

"What?" Luke practically yelped. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, come on, bro." Liz rolled her eyes. "I know she calls me 'Aunt Liz' and we kinda always meant for them to be like cousins, but the vibes comin' off those two when they walked into that apartment last night? I mean, wow, serious chemistry! Good thing they're not actually blood-related, huh? That'd be all kinds of awkward."

Luke's mouth opened and closed like a landed fish, but not a single sound came out. He really had no idea what he was supposed to say.

_To Be Continued..._


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hope my readers are still around for the rest of the story. It does have a way to go yet. Sometimes I think it's not my best story idea, but I'm determined to finish it now I've come this far! Thanks to those who keep on reviewing - I appreciate it :)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 14

"Jess, you asked me if I had the time to talk, so I came over, but I don't think you've actually said more than three full sentences since I got here," said Lane, staring at him from the other end of the couch.

Her words actually startled him out of a bit of a daze. Jess shifted his eyes to look at his friend and felt the mist clearing. What Lane said was true, when he ran into her in the square he had asked if she could spare him a few minutes because he could really use a friend, but now she was here, he didn't know where to begin.

"I'm sorry, Lane," he said, shaking his head. "My head is just..." he trailed off, making an exploding type gesture with his hands. "It's been a weird couple of days."

"I kind of got that," she admitted, looking sympathetic. "Everybody's talking about your mom being in town... without your dad."

"Yeah, always fun to be the centre of attention for the Hollow's rumour mill." Jess rolled his eyes. "The truth is they haven't officially split, but they're not exactly guaranteed to stick together either. I'll say one thing for your parents, Lane, I doubt you'll ever have to worry about possible divorce proceedings."

"That's true." Lane sighed. "I wish you didn't either. You really think that might be where Liz and Jimmy are headed?"

Jess shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I don't even think they know yet. God knows what we're going to say to Tues. Poor kid thinks that Mommy came to visit because she missed us and Daddy wishes he could be here but he has his business to run. When she finds out that I'm..."

"That you're...?" Lane prompted when Jess failed to continue.

She watched him run a hand down his face, eyes everywhere but on her as he seemed to consider if he wanted to tell her what was going on or not. Lane didn't push, knowing that was no way to be a good friend. She just gave Jess some time to think, waiting patiently until he finally spit it out.

"I got into Yale," he admitted at last. "That trip to New Haven with Rory? It was to see the place I should be going to school in the Fall."

"Wow," said Lane, eyes wide with surprise and awe. "That's... Jess, that is amazing. I mean, I always knew you were smart, you and Rory both, but Yale? That's so great."

"It is, or it should be," he told her. "See, the plan was to come here, get myself some work, reconnect with the family, then tell them about Yale. I figured I could live here, go to school, have a pretty decent life, leave Liz and Jimmy to tear each other apart without an audience for a while."

"Sounds like a pretty decent plan," Lane agreed, "except for..."

"Tuesday," Jess finished for her. "And also Rory, as it turns out. Geez, I did not see her coming, not like this," he admitted, pushing his hair back off his forehead. "I still don't know how that happened."

Lane tried to suppress the smile that wanted to come to her lips. In light of Jess' pain and worry, it was hardly the time to be grinning like the Cheshire cat, but it was tough to keep herself in check after all that Rory had told her. The whole romance between her friends sounded pretty epic and amazing to Lane. Not that her own relationship with Dave was anything less than stellar and completely romantic, but Jess and Rory were something else.

"It's a shame Rory is so set on Harvard," she said thoughtfully then. "You know she got into Yale too."

"She told me." Jess nodded.

"You guys could've gone there together. That would've been perfect."

"Perfect? Huh. Pretty sure nothing in my life is ever perfect. Honestly, I'd settle for average or reasonable right about now."

"C'mon, Jess." Lane rolled her eyes. "I know things aren't great, but you're better off than most people. I know your parents don't always get along, but they both love you and they'll want whatever's best for you too. Plus, you have Luke and Lorelai, you have Rory, you have me," she listed off easily. "Not to mention Tuesday who absolutely adores her big brother. She didn't stop talking about how great you were that day when I sat with her. She wanted to hear stories about you when you were little and everything."

"Please God, tell me you didn't give her anything she can use for blackmail purposes."

"Are you kidding?" Lane rolled her eyes. "I would not do that to you, even if I could. Besides, I'm pretty sure any trouble you got into, Rory would know more about it than I would."

Jess smirked at that. "Probably," he admitted, expression turning pained again as his mind rolled back over this conversation so far. "I guess I should make the most of Tuesday thinking I'm the best brother in the world while I have the chance. When she finds out she's probably going back to Venice and I'm staying here? Man, is she ever going to hate me," he said, shaking his head.

"Tuesday could never hate you," Lane insisted, reaching to put her hand on his arm. "Jess, there's just no way. Maybe she's a little young to fully understand, but she's very smart. In time, she'll realise that you're not abandoning her or anything, you're just doing what you have to do for your future."

"She's seven years old, Lane," Jess reminded her. "I know you're right about her being smart, but still, this is going to crush her. I kind of had a plan that she could stay here with me, you know, live with Luke and Lorelai or whatever. I'm pretty sure they'd take her on, Uncle Luke is the type to do whatever it takes for family, but she started missing Liz and Jimmy after two days. There's no way she could live away from them most of the year. It's too much."

Lane didn't know what she was supposed to say to make Jess feel any better about this situation, she only wished she did. As much as Mama drove her crazy, she knew she never would've wanted to be parted from her at the age of just seven. She wasn't so sure how well she would fair with a whole length of the country between them for nine months or more out of the year even now, truth be told.

"At least you and Rory have figured things out," she said, smiling in the hopes of encouraging Jess to do the same. "I know she was a little wobbly about the whole family connection thing, but she seems to be over that now."

"That's what you think," said Jess with a look. "She wants to be okay with it, I know she does, but it bothers her still. I don't even think it's so much that this whole town expects us to act like cousins or whatever. I think... mostly, I think it's Luke."

"She doesn't think he would be okay with you too getting close that way?"

"Maybe, but mostly... He's been her father, Lane. Luke has been way more of a dad to Rory than her actual father ever was."

"I can count on one hand the number of times she's seen Christopher in the last decade," Lane agreed easily. "Luke's been the best dad for her."

"And Luke is my uncle, blood tied and everything," said Jess pointedly. "I guess from that perspective, I can see why Rory struggles so much with how she feels about me."

"Yeah, I guess I can see it too," Lane admitted, dropping back against the couch cushions with a heavy sigh. "Wow, that must be so weird. I mean, if Rory let's herself disconnect you from her family, which she needs to if she wants to be with you, it means disconnecting Luke too."

"Exactly." Jess nodded, flopping back beside her. "This whole thing is not easy for anybody."

"That's true. Thank you so much for inviting me here to depress me," Lane said too seriously.

"You're welcome," Jess replied, equally dead-pan.

Neither of them knew what else to say after that.

* * *

"I know Luke's too much of a stand-up guy to say anything, but I don't wanna outstay my welcome," said Liz as she helped Lorelai carry the groceries through to the kitchen. "Besides, I gotta go home eventually and take those kiddos with me, I guess."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, you can stay as long as you want," her sister-in-law promised. "It's not as if we need the diner apartment for anything, so the Mariano family is welcome to it. Unless the air mattress is killing your back?"

"Nah, Jess took the air bed, gave me the real one." Liz smiled. "He's a good kid."

"That he is" Lorelai agreed easily. "He's really helped Luke out in the diner these past few weeks."

"So I was hearing," Liz nodded, taking a seat at the table as Lorelai forced perishables into the fridge and boxes of goodies into the cabinets. "Of course, I think my boy is more popular with your daughter than anybody else," she said, not entirely surprised when Lorelai seemed reluctant to bite.

"It is cool that they're such good friends."

"Come on, Lorelai." Liz laughed. "You don't really believe they're spending all that time alone together just reading books and talking about school, do you? Neither one of us is that naive."

A great heaving sigh escaped Lorelai as she finally turned around and leaned on the back of a chair facing Liz.

"Honestly? I don't know exactly what they do, because Rory won't talk to me about it," she admitted. "I really do not understand what her problem is, we usually talk about everything, but ever since Jess got here, it's like..."

"Like she has a big ass secret she doesn't wanna share?" Liz guessed. "And you have no idea what that could be?"

"Of course, I know what it could be." Lorelai rolled her eyes, moving to sit down then. "I just... I never really expected that to happen with those two."

"It surprised me too." Liz nodded. "But it's cool. I mean, Luke freaked a little when I talked to him about it, but he's a guy, what does he know? Chemistry just happens with some people, nothing you can do about it. Besides, like I told that big brother of mine, it's not like Jess and Rory are _related_ related."

"I know," Lorelai agreed. "I mean, it's fine. Like I said, Jess is a good kid, I couldn't have picked better for Rory if I wanted to, it's just... it's unexpected, that's all."

"Maybe, maybe not," said Liz, considering it. "I mean, come on, they got along great when they were kids, I guess it's not so crazy that they still do. Add in hormones, and bam, you got yourself a teen romance novel."

"Yeah, with a potentially unhappy ending." Lorelai sighed. "I mean, you just said, you guys have to go home soon, whether you like it or not. It's taken almost a decade for you to come visit over here. A whole country stands between Jess and Rory right now. If they have started something, it can't exactly last long."

"I don't know. Look at Danny and Sandy. Never thought they'd see each other again, but before you know it, they were going together like rama-lama-lama ba-dinga-da ding-da-dong."

"Wow. That was a brave reference, sister-friend, but you pulled it off," said Lorelai, looking genuinely impressed and holding up her hand for Liz to high five.

"Thank you," she replied, slapping Lorelai's hand. "I still love that movie. Don't you just love it?"

"Danny Zuko was pretty amazing, though personally I kinda had a thing for Kenickie. Maybe it was because I identified more with Rizzo than Sandy."

"Me too," Liz admitted. "Well, she was the one with the high school pregnancy scare. Guess we all have that in common."

"Except ours were not false alarms."

"And ain't we glad?"

"Yes, indeed." Lorelai smiled widely. "God, can you believe how long ago that was?"

"_Grease_ or us being pregnant?"

"Either one."

"Time flies when you're havin' fun... and weirdly, even when you're not," Liz considered. "You know, when I saw your baby boy, I nearly died. I always picture him as a baby!"

"I know, I had the same thing with Tuesday," Lorelai admitted. "She's quite a little character, and the artwork? My God, I have never, will never draw half as well as she does."

"I know, right? I swear I don't know where she gets that from. I'm just not creative that way, you know? I like to make stuff sometimes, jewellery or whatever, but I don't draw, I don't sew. I tried painting once, complete disaster."

"Tell me about it. Two kids that are obsessed with books, two of 'em," Lorelai explained, holding up two fingers to emphasise her point. "I mean, I can read just fine, but these kids own a library each."

"Jess is just the same, but at least I know that comes from Jimmy." Liz sighed. "Ugh, I wish I knew what I was going to do about my marriage. I always assumed the kids would be the complicated part, but honestly, Jess and Tuesday, they're doin' fine, it's Jimmy and me that have the problems."

"You guys can't patch it up?" asked Lorelai sadly. "I know things haven't always been the best, but I was really pulling for you guys."

"Me too," said Liz, finding a smile as she turned her wedding ring around and around on her finger. "It's not that I don't love him, 'cause I do. I'm pretty sure he still loves me too, it's just... I don't know, stuff happens, and I get stressed out, then he gets mad because I need a little help to find my inner calm, and then it becomes a thing." She sighed. "If I knew what I was gonna do about it all, I'd tell you."

"Oh, hey," said Rory, looking decidedly awkward as she came in through the back door and found her mom and Liz chatting. "Um, we didn't know you were here."

"We?" asked Lorelai. "Oh, _we_," she said, smiling when she realised Jess was on her daughter's heels. "You guys were hoping to be alone?"

"Why would we want that?" asked Rory, laughing nervously.

"Wow. Were we ever this lame at keeping our relationships secret?" Liz asked Lorelai.

"Too long ago, I forget." Lorelai shrugged.

Jess and Rory shared a look, even as Liz burst out laughing. Apparently, more people knew about them than they thought, but at least that was one secret they didn't have to worry about explaining.

_To Be Continued..._


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thanks for the latest reviews, peops. This story has become so much more complicated than I meant for it to be. Family drama, huh? Well, I'll get it figured out eventually, I suppose. In the meantime, I do appreciate all the support :)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 15

"You feeling better now?" Jess asked as he and Rory walked hand-in-hand onto the bridge over the lake.

"Kind of. I think so," she said thoughtfully. "I just never expected our moms to be so cool about you and me being... well, you-and-me" she said, shrugging her shoulders as they sat down together. "I guess I should've known better."

"Yeah, we do kind of have the monopoly on cool moms," said Jess, nodding his head. "What?" he asked when he realised Rory was staring at him.

"Nothing, I just didn't think... Well, you and your mom, you started calling her Liz, so I kind of assumed you didn't get along so much anymore. It's weird hearing you say that she's cool."

Jess smirked at that. "She is cool," he confirmed. "She's didn't freak out when I went through a brief cigarette smoking phase. She always sided with me if I got into a fight in school or a teacher accused me of anything. She was the one who gave me 'the talk' because she knew Jimmy would go to pieces if he tried."

"That does sound cool." Rory smiled, even though the vaguest mention of sex right now made her want to blush. "Sounds a lot like my mom, actually."

"They have a lot in common," Jess noted. "The problem with Liz has never been how cool she is. It's her and Jimmy, their whole relationship. They just... they can't seem to live together and both be cool at the same time, you know?"

"Not really," Rory confessed, shaking her head. "My mom and Luke don't really fight. I mean, obviously, they have had fights, no couple has the perfect relationship, but it's rare."

"Then you're lucky," said Jess, his arm sliding around her back and pulling her closer. "Now Liz is talking about us heading home soon."

Rory's head had only just landed on Jess' shoulder when suddenly it shot up again.

"You're leaving? Already?" she checked.

"Already?" Jess echoed, just slightly amused by the term. "Ror, I was supposed to be here two weeks. It's been more than twice that long and I'm still here."

"It doesn't seem that long." Rory sighed, putting her head back down and cuddling up closer. "And California suddenly seems like it might as well be on another planet. I guess it won't be so bad though. I mean, you'll be back soon enough for school, right?"

Jess bit his lip, not knowing how to answer that. Rory was right, him being in Connecticut in the Fall ready to start Yale was absolutely the plan, and yet...

"Jess?"

When he looked at her and she was staring at him all wide-eyed and beautiful, all he could do was kiss her. Of course, when they finally parted, he knew he had to tell her something. The truth seemed like a good place to start, no matter how much it hurt.

"Honestly? I don't know what's going to happen with Yale right now," he admitted, gently pushing her hair back from her face when the breeze moved it. "I mean, I want to go, obviously, and I wanna be here when you're here. It could all work out pretty well except... well, with the way things are at home, and Tuesday..."

Rory nodded in understanding, the way Jess knew she would. At the same time, he could see the pain behind her eyes and it hurt him too. When they started this thing, Rory believed Jess would never be so very far away from her for long. Yes, the timing was bad in some ways, him moving back to her home town just when she was heading for Boston, but she would be home for holidays and such, maybe even the occasional weekend, and he could visit her too. New Haven and Boston were only a couple of hundred miles apart. East coast to west coast was a whole other prospect.

"So, before, you thought Tuesday would stay here with you?" asked Rory then.

"Yes, that was a plan that I had," Jess agreed. "But then she started missing the folks back home within a couple of days and I knew she wouldn't be able to handle it," he said with a sigh, his arm slipping from Rory's back as she shifted away a little. "I know this is a mess, believe me, I know," he said, hand smacking against his knee with frustration. "I just wish I knew what to do about it. I can't let Tuesday go home alone with Liz, not if things are gonna be like they were. The kid needs me."

"I get it," Rory assured him. "I do. I mean, I'd be the same about Will."

"The difference is, his parents aren't a pair of real wackadoos when they set their minds to it." Jess shook his head.

Rory opened her mouth to say something else but closed it again fast with no words making it out. Anything she said right now would be the wrong thing, she was sure of it. All she could think about was her own disappointment at having Jess go away, further and for a lot longer than she ever thought he might. She did understand about his parents and his sister and everything, of course, she did, but a part of her didn't want to. A part of her wished she could be selfish and have Jess stay just because she wanted him to. She kind of hated that part of herself.

"Rory, you know that if I could just stay-"

"I know," she promised fast, forcing a smile as she met his eyes. "I know," she repeated, nodding her head.

Jess sighed, pulled her closer and kissed her hair. "Walk me to work?"

"Sure."

* * *

"So, they admitted it? That they're..." Luke made a vague gesture with his hand that made Lorelai laugh.

"Yes, honey, Rory and Jess are playing see-saw together," she said, since that was all he had achieved in making her think of with his strange movement.

"You know what I mean," he said in a low voice, eyes all over the diner, checking for anyone who might be listening in.

He would've gone elsewhere to talk to Lorelai about the kids, but honestly, he couldn't leave the diner when they were so understaffed, plus they had to get this done before Jess showed up for his shift in the next ten minutes.

"I know what you mean," Lorelai confirmed, taking pity on her poor husband. "Yes, Rory and Jess are together, for lack of a better expression, and yes, they admitted it. I guess you were right about what you thought you saw in the beginning."

"I'd be smug about it if I was actually glad to be right." Luke sighed and shook his head. "You don't think it's weird?" he asked Lorelai then.

"Maybe a little," she admitted, feeling just about the most awkward she ever had in her husband's presence. "I mean, if they're happy, I guess it's cool, right? They're not really hurting anyone."

"I guess not," said Luke gruffly, before muttering something about customers and moving quickly from behind the counter, coffee pot in hand.

Lorelai put her face in her hands and took a deep breath, reminding herself that the diner was not a place she could freely scream. She really wished this situation was more straightforward. She didn't think anything could be worse than when Rory started dating her first boyfriend. Luke had taken the protective father role to the extreme, despite the fact that Dean was a really nice boy. It had taken months before Luke believed Rory's boyfriend was not a degenerate and actually would both respect and take care of her when they went out. It was almost worse when the young couple had finally broken up and Lorelai vividly remembered having to physically restrain her husband so he wouldn't go and knock the Forester kid into next Thursday.

It was only because Luke loved Rory so much. Lorelai knew that and she couldn't be happier about it. Never once had she regretted making a family with him, letting him take on the role of Rory's daddy, having a second child with him too. Of course, she could hardly bear to think about the complications that those family ties were making now.

Rory and Jess. They were a match made in heaven. Nice kids with a large amount of brains each and so much in common. If only his uncle wasn't practically her father. It wasn't their fault, Lorelai knew that, and actually, when she saw them together earlier, they were incredibly cute. She almost forgot why she shouldn't be comfortable with them being together when it was just her and them, plus Liz being super-supportive of the teen romance. Then she came over to the diner to tell Luke all about it and Lorelai remembered exactly what the problem was.

It really was a very big problem. She hadn't quite thought about how big that problem truly was until a crash of dishes on tile made her spin around fast on her stool.

Luke was standing stock still in the middle of the diner, smashed plates at his feet, eyes fixed on something beyond the window. Lorelai followed his gaze, unsure what she expected to see, wincing when she realised it was Rory and Jess, looking every inch the young couple in love. Now the town was going to have a field day with the realisation that they were together, while Luke was... apparently, running away from the problem, Lorelai suddenly realised.

Jumping down from her stool, she chased him through the curtain, coming to an abrupt halt when she realised her husband had not proceeded up the stairs, just sat himself down on the third step, his head held in his hands.

"Luke? Honey, talk to me," she urged him, crouching down to his level, her hands on his arms as she tried desperately to see his face. "Luke..."

"I'm fine," he told her then. "I mean it, Lorelai. I am fine," he repeated, looking almost as if he actually meant it when he suddenly looked up and met her eyes.

"I wanna believe you," she said, shaking her head. "But I also get why this is so tough on you."

"Why should it be?" Luke shrugged. "Rory likes Jess, Jess likes Rory. That's just great," he said, as if it were nothing, even though they both knew it absolutely was. "Like you said yourself, they're not hurting anybody, right?"

Lorelai opened her mouth to apologise for that particularly thoughtless comment. Inadvertent as it was, of course Rory and Jess were hurting somebody, and that somebody was her Luke. Before she could say a word, he was on his feet again, declaring he had to get back to work, grabbing the broom and heading out into the diner proper without pause.

Getting to her feet, Lorelai sighed, turning her eyes heavenward.

"You know, I always wish you were still here, for all our sakes," she said sadly, "but days like today, I wish it more than ever."

_To Be Continued..._


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: This fic is giving me a headache... I think I made it too complicated and too angsty, which was not my intention. Well, I'm determined to finish it (given time) and I'm super-grateful for the supportive reviewage, reader peops. Now, deep breath, and... tissues on standby?**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 16

"You're acting weird," said Tuesday matter of factly, as Jess walked with her towards the park.

"Wanting to take you some place fun is weird?" her brother checked, making a point of looking at her and trying to appear as normal as possible.

"No," she admitted, "but you didn't want Will to come, or Mom, or even Rory. That's pretty weird."

Jess knew he really couldn't argue with her on that one. Much as he loved having a kid sister that was this smart, there were times when he almost wished Tuesday was like any other eight-year-old. As they got closer to the playground and he caught sight of the crowd of 'regular' kids, Jess immediately changed his mind on that.

"Wow, some crowd," he said, wincing at the noise of squealing and bickering and such.

"And you wonder why I'm anti-social," said Tuesday flatly. "Do we have to be here?" she asked, staring up at him.

"How about I buy you an ice-cream and we just sit for a while?" Jess tried, gesturing towards a nearby bench.

"Sold." Tuesday smiled slightly, hurrying to sit down and wait.

Jess went to buy two ice-cream cones from the stand a few feet away then brought them over to join his sister. She grinned and thanked him for her treat, digging in without pause. Maybe sometimes she really was the same as every other eight-year-old.

"So, what's the big deal?" she asked after a while. "Is this about you and Rory?"

"What about me and Rory?" asked Jess, side-eying her a bit.

Tuesday giggled. "I know you love her. You're so obvious."

Jess' eyes widened a bit at that remark and then he laughed himself because it was tough not to. Caught out by his kid sister. He really never should've thought for a second he could get anything past her.

"This isn't about me and Rory," he confirmed after a moment's pause. "Although, yes, we are... Well, we like each other a lot. That doesn't weird you out at all?"

Tuesday shrugged her shoulders, most of her concentration on her ice-cream still.

"Mom says that Rory's not really our cousin. She's Aunt Lorelai's daughter but Uncle Luke isn't her real dad. It's not like I don't get how that stuff works. You know, these days, it's weirder to be a kid with two biological married parents at home than anything else."

"That I can believe." Jess nodded.

"So, you and Rory, that's what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yes and no. Tues-"

"Your ice-cream is dripping," she cut in, gesturing to the stream of dairy goodness running down the cone and onto Jess' hand.

"Damn it," he grumbled, more mad than he should be at messy food and he knew it. "This whole thing is not going how I planned," he said, switching the ice-cream cone to his other hand and trying to clean up the mess at the same time.

Tuesday giggled. "You're like a bad comedy sketch today," she told him, grinning yet.

"Well, so long as you're entertained." Jess rolled his eyes.

He loved to see her happy, loved to hear her laugh like that, but it only saved to make it so much tougher to tell her the truth about what was to come. Taking a deep breath, he put on his serious face and started over.

"Tuesday, I have to tell you something, and it's gonna suck and I'm sorry about that, but I love you way too much to lie to you."

"Okay," she said, nodding her head and staring up at him with wide eyes. "Is it that Mom and Dad are getting divorced?"

"It's not," Jess assured her. "Although I can't guarantee that won't happen. It could, but that is all on them. What I have to tell you is about me and what happens now I'm done with school."

"Jess, I know you're going to college," Tuesday reminded him.

"Yeah, but you don't know where, Miss Smarty Pants," he challenged her, before thinking better of making a joke out of something so serious. "The truth is I... Oh, for God's sake!"

The ice-cream cone was in the trash in a second as Jess wiped his hands off a second time, so sick of having to deal with the melting situation on top of everything else. He looked at Tuesday then, watched her quietly licking her own treat and looking uncomfortable in the face of his anger. He was handling this all wrong, he knew it, but Jess had no idea how else to do it. Maybe it was time to just spit out the painful truth already and hope for the best.

"Tuesday, I... I got into Yale. You know what that means?"

She nodded her head, glancing up at him. "That's a big deal college. In the Ivy League."

"That's right," Jess agreed, smiling a little as he shifted closer and put his arm around his little sister. "It's a very big deal that I got in. It means I got really good grades and I impressed some people with how smart I am. The only problem is that Yale isn't in California. It's here, in Connecticut, in a place called New Haven a few miles south of Stars Hollow."

Jess looked down at Tuesday who seemed determined to focus on nothing but her ice-cream right now, though she was rapidly running out of creamy goodness to eat. Jess knew for a fact that as much as she insisted on eating her ice-cream out of a cone because he did, she never ate the wafer part, so she was pretty much done. He waited for a minute until the moment came when she would have no excuse left not to talk and not to look at him, and yet, she still didn't react.

"Tues, come on," he said, urging her to say or do something, anything at this point. "You heard what I said, right?"

"I heard," she told him, leaning across to drop her cone in the trash and then staring up at him with wide, glassy eyes. "You're staying here, aren't you?"

"I'm staying here," Jess agreed, nodding his head, hating himself the moment he saw one lone tear streak down her face. "But you're gonna be okay. You'll have Mom and Dad, even if things don't work out between them, they'll both be there for you, I promise," he swore, hand at her face, wiping away her tears. "You and me, we can talk all the time, and you can write me letters and send me pictures that you draw. I'm gonna need a lot of artwork for my dorm room, and I will always wanna know what's going on with you, with school and everything."

She was trying so hard to be brave, he recognised the expression, having seen it before on her face as well as his own in the mirror over the years. Jess had never hated himself more than he did in that moment, but he had to do it, he knew he did. If he gave up on Yale for Tuesday's sake, he was going to wind up resenting her in the long run, and that would be even worse than this.

"Please, tell me you don't hate me right now," he begged her.

Tuesday shook her head very hard and swallowed hard so she could speak.

"I could never hate you," she promised, flinging herself at him and holding on tight.

Jess hugged her close, having to fight hard so he didn't cry himself by now.

"I don't wanna be away from you, kiddo, you know that, right? It's just... this is a big deal for me and... and I gotta take this opportunity."

"I get it," she promised, pulling back to look at him. "I'm just gonna miss you so much, Jess."

"And I'll miss you too, Tues. Come on, you know I will," he told her definitely, "but it's not like you need me around all the time anyway. You're growing up so fast, before you know it, having your big brother hanging around would just cramp your style," he told her with a smirk that wouldn't quite come out right.

"You're the best big brother, Jess. The best," she told him, throwing herself back into his arms for another hug.

"And you're the best kid sister, Tues. No contest," he promised, kissing the top of her head.

At least she knew the truth now and she wasn't screaming at him for abandoning her or whatever. In fact, she still thought he was the best big brother in the world. Jess was pretty sure he didn't deserve a kid sister like Tuesday, but he would forever be grateful to have her.

* * *

"Luke, hi," Rory was surprised to find him coming in the back door as she got herself a coffee in the kitchen. "Um, I thought you were doing inventory at the diner?"

"I was," he agreed, nodding his head as he slipped by without hardly looking at her. "Just found some shelves that were getting kinda wobbly so I came home to grab my toolbox," he explained, moving towards the stairs.

"Bert's in the hall closet," Rory called after him. "You moved him down here when Mom needed more closet space in your room for her shoes."

"I did," Luke agreed, smiling just slightly as he went to the right place and retrieved his tools before turning as if to head out of the front door instead this time.

"You can't even look at me, can you?"

Rory's words, or perhaps more so the crack in her voice, stuck Luke to the floor like glue. She didn't want to make a big deal out of this, having told herself she was being paranoid the last couple of days, but Rory knew that wasn't true. Luke was being weird around her and she was sure she knew why. He wasn't happy about the whole her and Jess situation and if they didn't talk about it soon, it was only going to get worse.

"Rory..." Luke sighed as he turned around, seemingly having to force himself to look her in the face. "I wasn't... Of course, I can look at you."

"You can, but you don't want to," she told him, swallowing hard before she could go on. "I'm sorry, Luke. I know this is a weird situation and that you probably don't approve. I'm sure you think I'm sick and twisted and just a horrible person."

Luke's toolbox dropped to the floor with a clatter as he strode towards Rory then, stopping a foot in front of her and placing his hands on her shoulders as he met her eyes.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ think that," he told her firmly. "Rory, I have never, not for a second, thought you were anything but good things, because... because in all the ways that matter, you are my daughter. You got that? You are my daughter and I love you."

She lost it then, completely and utterly. The tears came streaming from her eyes and she just sobbed as Luke pulled her into his arms and held on tight. The crying went on quite a while, but Rory didn't care. She couldn't help how she felt, she couldn't stop crying and Luke didn't seem to mind at all, just rubbed her back and told her it was okay until finally she was calm again. It reminded her of so many times over the years when she had been sad and he had been the one to comfort her, from when she skinned a knee at five or six, to her break up with Dean not so long ago.

"You got it all out of your system now?" Luke asked eventually, pulling back to see Rory's face and evidently pained at seeing her so upset.

"I just... I hate how complicated this is," she said, shaking her head. "I don't want to feel this way, I never meant to. It's just, me and Jess... I don't know what happened."

"I do." Luke sighed, pushing her hair back off her tear-stained face. "You're both good kids with a lot in common and, let's face it, neither one if you is exactly tough to look at," he said, smirking some, especially when Rory blushed at the compliment. "You like each other, it happens."

"But it hurts you," Rory told him, emotion thick in her throat yet. "And I hate that. I hate that the only way to make me and Jess not seem weird is... is to separate our families. It means cutting you out and I can't. I just can't, Luke."

"Hey, come on," he said, his hand at her cheek as he urged her not to let the tears take over again. "Nobody's cutting anybody out. I just told you, as far as I'm concerned, you are my daughter. Nothing could change that, even if we wanted it to, and we already established that we don't," he recapped, "but Rory, sweetheart, just because we see each other the way we do, that doesn't mean you and Jess can't carry on seeing each other the way you do too. If you like him and he likes you, well, you're not actually related. The last thing I want is for you to make this harder for yourself than it has to be, because... because I love you, okay?"

"I know." Rory nodded, sniffing hard for good measure. "I love you too, you know that. It's just all so weird and... and just when I thought it was okay, you seemed so mad at me."

"No, Rory. Geez, I'm sorry, kid," he said, pulling her in for another big hug. "I never meant to make you feel like I was mad at you. If I was mad at all, it was at myself. I shouldn't be weird about this situation. It's not like you and Jess were raised together. and I do get why you want to be together. You _should_ be together, well, as much as two people who live on opposite sides of the country can be, I guess. Rory?" he said, frowning some when they pulled apart and she had an expression on her face that was almost guilty. "If you're about to tell me you plan to run off to California with Jess-"

"I'm not," she promised him fast. "It's not me that's moving anywhere. Actually, that would be Jess," she confessed, knowing that at this point she really didn't have much of a choice. "Maybe we should sit down so I can explain?"

"Yeah." Luke nodded as they pulled out chairs at the kitchen table. "Maybe we should do that, before this situation gets any more confusing."

_To Be Continued..._


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I'm officially writing too many fics at once now, hence updates may be slightly delayed. Sorry about that, but I can't bear to drop any of them! Thanks to all those who left reviews on the previous chapter - I know it was all very weepy and everything, but this chapter has it's funny moments, so there's that :)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 17

Maybe calling the event a family conference wasn't the greatest, given how tied up in knots everybody had become with the Rory and Jess situation. Still, it covered all bases and meant that everybody gathered up in the one place - namely the living room of the Crap Shack - to talk through all the things that needed to be said. Even Jimmy was present, in part, via the phone line. In the circumstances, he kind of had to be.

"Okay, let's just start from the beginning before this gets any more crazy," said Luke, making cutting motions with his hands until he got some quiet.

Lorelai and Liz both had a habit of talking a mile a minute and didn't always mind if they overlapped plenty. It was something Luke had gotten used to when they all lived around each other years ago, but in the last decade he had forgotten how much of a headache it could give him.

At least the kids were quiet. Though it was decided that it was only fair to let Will and Tuesday be present, neither seemed overly interested in what was being discussed, one sat lotus style on the rug with his head in a book, the other knelt by the ottoman with all her focus on her sketchpad. Jess and Rory weren't exactly saying much either, squashed together on the couch with Liz, and only interjecting when they felt their lives were being decided without them. Nobody was trying to do that, but it seemed to be happening more by default than anything else.

"I'm not trying to make anything crazier," said Jess firmly, "I'm just making it clear that, one way or another, I am taking the spot at Yale!"

He yelled the last part towards the phone speaker, clearly wanting to hammer his point home to Jimmy. Liz rolled her eyes as her husband huffed a sigh and tried to counter their son's decision... again.

"Seriously, Jimmy," she cut in fast. "The kid knows what he wants and obviously he's smart enough to make it happen. Be proud, stop fighting him on this."

"You want him living on the other side of the country, Liz?" Jimmy barked at her from the speaker.

"I'm kinda liking _you_ livin' on the other side of the country right now!"

Luke sat down heavily on the arm of Lorelai's chair with a look that said, 'I give up.' She patted his arm, her expression sympathetic, though she was wincing in a second as Liz and Jimmy continued to fight via the phoneline. They really were getting nowhere fast.

"Could I just...?" Lorelai tried to jump in, smiling at Liz when she glanced her way. "Okay, so, I know you guys have a lot to figure out," she said tactfully of Liz and Jimmy, glad that Tuesday didn't seem to think anything was amiss, "but maybe now isn't the right time for that. How about we just stick to the things we can figure out and that we all need to be involved in. Jimmy?" she called towards the phone speaker. "I know you don't want Jess to be so far away. I can't imagine how awful I would feel about Rory being right across the country like that. I'm having a hard time with Boston and that's only a two-and-half hour drive," she said, looking at Rory with a half-smile, "but they're growing up, they have to make their own decisions."

"I know that," said Jimmy. "God knows, we made our own decisions at their age, right or wrong."

"Didn't we just?" Liz sighed. "For what it's worth, I don't regret a single one of mine from back then," she said, looking at Jess, her hand covering his and squeezing.

He smiled as they looked at each other and she did too.

"Look, I know the whole Yale thing is a surprise," he said then, as much to one parent as the other. "It was a surprise to me too when they accepted me, but... but this is what I wanna do. Come on, Tuesday is being a grown up about it. Can't I expect the same from my parents?"

Silence reigned for a few moments and then Jimmy sighed, again.

"I guess I understand," he said eventually. "I don't like it much, but I do understand. For what it's worth, Jess, I'm... I'm proud of you, son."

"Thanks, Dad," he replied, probably too softly to be heard through the phone line, but he couldn't help it.

"So," said Lorelai, having to clear her throat before she could go on. "If Jess is going to Yale, I'm guessing he'll be living in a dorm most of the time, but when class is not in session, Luke and I are happy to have him stay in the apartment above the diner."

"Yours for as long as you want it, no problem," Luke confirmed to Jess.

"Thanks," his nephew told them both. "And if you need help in the diner..."

"Oh, I'm gonna need help in the diner and you're gonna help me," said Luke definitely. "You can't pay me rent but you can still earn your keep."

Though he was clearly trying to be firm and authoritative, the usual kind smile broke through and everybody saw it.

"No problem, Uncle Luke," said Jess, smirking himself by then.

He felt Rory flinch beside him at his use of the word 'uncle' and almost felt sorry for it. In the end, Jess knew he couldn't make himself guilty for speaking the truth and Rory was just going to have to get over it if they were ever going to make this thing between them work. She was doing better since she and Luke talked things out, but for a while, things were bound to be a little strange still.

"One more piece of news for you, Jimmy," said Liz then, clearly noticing whatever was silently passing between her son and Rory in that moment. "You remember Rory, right?"

"Of course, I remember Rory," Jimmy told her, with an eyeroll everyone could actually hear somehow. "You doing okay, princess?" he asked then, clearly addressing Rory herself.

She smiled at the nickname she remembered from her childhood.

"I'm doing fine, Uncle Jimmy," she told him easily, before catching Jess' eye and realising she had so easily done the same thing he just did with Luke. "Um, I just... well, the other thing we have to tell you has to do with me... and also with Jess."

"Okay. Are you going to Yale too?" he checked.

"No, our Rory is doing the Harvard thing," Lorelai cut in, "but Yale and Harvard aren't so very far apart so she and Jess can see plenty of each other, which they want to."

"They're dating, Jimmy," said Liz then, clearly tired of dancing around the issue. "Rory and Jess are dating."

There was a long pause when each person in turn must've wondered if the line had become disconnected. Just when Jess was about to get up and check, Jimmy spoke.

"Huh," he said and then after a couple more beats of silence. "Okay then."

The adults in the room all shared looks that said, 'Is that it?' but of course no-one had an answer to that question, except for Jimmy himself and nobody seemed to actually be asking him.

"So, we're cool?" asked Jess eventually. "Everybody is okay with me staying here and going to Yale? Nobody is about to kick up a fuss about me and Rory?" he checked, looking around at each person in turn.

"All good here," Lorelai admitted, hands raised in mock surrender as Luke nodded his agreement.

"Hey, my kids are happy, I'm happy," Liz told him definitely.

"That goes for me too," Jimmy chimed in.

Jess finally turned to look at Rory and was glad to find her smiling.

"Cool?" he checked.

"Very cool," she agreed, nodding her head.

"I could use a soda" said Will, raising his hand, even though his nose never once came out of his book.

"Me too," Tuesday added, carefully colouring her latest picture. "Are we done with the meeting yet?"

"We're done, kid," Lorelai assured her, biting her lip a little so she didn't laugh too obviously. "And I think maybe we actually achieved the objective, so who wants celebratory ice-cream with their soda?"

A general cheer went up, and not just from the youngest two in the room either. After all of the drama, a sweet treat sounded good to everybody.

* * *

"I don't mind admitting, I did not see that whole family conference thing going as well as it actually did." Rory sighed, her head dropping onto Jess' shoulder as they sat together on the bridge over the lake. "Did you?"

"It all had to get figured out in the end," Jess told her easily, eyes following the ripples on the water as he held her close. "There was no way I was backing down, no matter what your parents or mine had to say about it."

"Really?" Rory checked, her head coming up off his shoulder to stare at him.

"Come on, you think I'd give up Yale for them? You think I'd give up _you_?" he said more seriously, meeting her eyes. "Wasn't happening, Ror."

She smiled at that, leaning in until their lips met in a sweet kiss, at least it started out sweet, but soon became something else entirely, as it often did with the two of them.

"I really don't think I'd want to give you up either," said Rory breathlessly when they finally parted. "Jess, I've never felt like this about anybody and I really never expected to feel this way about you. Right now, the idea of even being 150 miles apart makes me nauseous, but at least you won't be all the way across the country in California."

"Could be worse," he agreed, nodding his head. "It's gonna be tough when Tuesday has to go back. Honestly, I think I'll even miss Liz and Jimmy."

"You can visit them and they'll visit you too, you know they will," Rory insisted. "They love you just as much as you love them."

"Yeah, I know," Jess agreed, pushing her hair back behind her ear, his hand lingering at her cheek then. "You realise if Yale hadn't given me a spot, I still might not have come back here. I could've spent this whole summer in Venice, never knowing what I was missing."

"And if you had some reason to come visit sooner, we could've been having this conversation a year ago, maybe two," Rory considered. "But since they haven't invented time travel or dimension jumping for real yet, I guess we'll just have to deal with the world the way it is," she said, wearing a smirk to rival any Jess had ever had on his own lips.

"I kinda like this world the way it is," Jess told her, returning the look.

"Oh, yeah?"

"It has it's perks," he said, kissing her one more time.

The sun finally disappeared, bringing darkness down all around the young couple, so lost in each other they barely even noticed anything had changed. All they knew was each other and how good it felt to be together. Everything else could wait for another day.

_To Be Continued..._


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter, folks. I know it may have seemed a bit like nothing much happened, but I felt like everybody needed to be on the same page, and I thought it was quite a fun way of doing that. Anyway, on we go...**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 18

"I still cannot believe you delayed your flight so you can come to a town meeting," said Luke shaking his head.

Liz laughed loudly. "C'mon, big brother, you know I used to love those things!" she reminded him as they walked together with the family group of Lorelai, Rory, Jess, Will, and Tuesday. "All the people getting so mad about stuff that didn't even matter. When we were kids, Dad just used to roll his eyes and mutter how dumb they were."

"Huh, now Luke does that." Lorelai grinned. "Do you remember that one time your Uncle Louie was visiting?" she asked Luke and Liz then. "Man, he was something else."

"I remember you telling me about that," said Rory then. "Never were so many curse words heard in Miss Patty's studio," she told Jess.

"I think I heard that story also," he agreed, nodding his head. "Rumour has it he was the grumpier, meaner version of Grandpa William."

"I'm named after Grandpa William," said Will to Tuesday.

"I'm named after a rock band," she replied completely straight-faced.

"Nuh-uh," her cousin argued. "Tuesday is a day in the week."

"I'm not named after that," she countered, rolling her eyes. "I'm named after a rock band. Tell him, Mommy!" she urged Liz.

"She's right, man. I named her for my favourite band of the 80s, 'Til Tuesday."

"Ugh, Aimee Mann was so cool." Lorelai sighed. "And that video for 'Voices Carry'?"

"I still have the original vinyl of 'Love in a Vacuum.' I love it, scratches and all."

"Any idea what they're talking about?" asked Rory, looking to Jess for help.

"Actually, yes," he told her, nodding his head, "but only because my sister is named for the band. Not really my thing. So, where are you on town meetings? Love or hate?"

"Um, somewhere in between," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "They can be fun sometimes, and other times it's just a lot of Taylor droning on and on until our ears bleed."

"Sounds like a scream."

"Yes, sometimes there is also screaming."

They were both grinning at the joke as they went on inside of the dance studio, their moms and Luke ushering the kids in behind them. Thankfully, they weren't too late and managed to find one whole row of seats in the middle that they easily filled between them.

Much like Rory had said, this particular meeting consisted mostly of Taylor's general rantings over stuff that nobody else really cared about, like a practically non-existent problem with deer and the proper length for grass on a front lawn. Of course, when he got to 'any other business' things got a little more interesting.

"I have something I'd like to say," said Miss Patty, rising up from her seat and practically elbowing Taylor away from his own podium. "Stars Hollow has been blessed with a wonderful family of visitors this summer. Jess Mariano has been hanging around here for a few weeks now, who I'm sure you all remember as the grandson of the late and much-loved William Danes," she said, smiling over at Jess. "And he brought with him his darling little sister, Tuesday. Then just a couple of weeks ago we welcomed back their mother, Liz," she went on, grinning widely at the whole family row. "I heard that they weren't going to be staying too much longer, which is sad, but I wanted to take this chance to say it's been wonderful having Liz and Jess back with us, and a real pleasure to meet Tuesday too."

"I'll second that!" Babette Dell yelled from the other side of the studio.

"Very cool folks," her husband Maury agreed, starting a round of applause that filtered around the room.

"Don't stand up," Luke urged his sister when she started doing exactly that.

"Relax, big brother," she told him. "I'm just being grateful for the attention. Thank you, everybody, for the great welcome back," she said to the assembled crowd then. "It's been very cool coming back here to visit with you all, and while it is true that me and my youngest are heading home tomorrow, I'm proud to tell you that my boy, Jess, has got himself a place at Yale," she said with a huge smile as she looked at him.

Jess glanced away, half-hiding his face in Rory's shoulder and making her laugh.

"So, you guys are going to be seeing a lot of Jess in the next four years, I guess," Liz continued to explain. "He'll be staying in the Hollow - when he's not in New Haven, studying hard - flipping your burgers and serving coffee in my brother's diner. I hope you'll all take care of him for me when I can't," she continued, a crack in her voice that she couldn't hide. "I guess if I have to let him leave home to go anywhere, this is a real good place."

Luke put his arm around Liz when she finally sat down and Lorelai passed her some tissue to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.

"That was mortifying," Jess muttered to Rory.

"I thought it was beautiful," she admitted, almost shedding a tear herself.

The meeting ended fairly quickly after that and Liz, with Tuesday trailing behind her, said goodbye to a few old friends and good neighbours. Luke and Lorelai took Will over to the diner for a milkshake while they waited for the others, not arguing at all when Rory and Jess said they were going to take a walk.

"You can pretend all you want, but I know you're going to miss your mom when she's back in California," said Rory, intertwining her fingers with Jess' own as they walked along.

"I never said I wouldn't miss her," he countered. "I know I will. Jimmy too, and Tuesday most of all, probably, but I still think I'm doing the right thing."

"Me too," Rory agreed. "Even if at least half of my reason for thinking so is selfish," she admitted, smirking a little when Jess looked at her.

"You can be selfish, I don't mind," he told her, leaning in to kiss her lips. "So, not long now and then you're bound for Harvard and I'm going to Yale."

"Then we have to miss each other too." Rory sighed sadly. "I mean, I've wanted to go to Harvard my whole life, for as long as I can remember. Now, suddenly, I kind of wish I'd accepted Yale instead."

"Come on, Ror, you can't change schools just because of me." Jess shook his head, squeezing her hand a little tighter. "I love that you'd want to, but you can't. That's not cool."

"I know." Rory sighed one more time. "Besides, we have some of our summer break left yet before we have to go to school. I'm sure we can find lots of good ways to fill that time."

"You're talking about reading a lot of books, right?" asked Jess, smirking hard as she looked at him. "Because I can't think of anything else we could do."

Rory giggled. "Bad liar."

Jess didn't argue, just pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and kissing her deeply.

* * *

"I don't want to go."

The sight of tears on his little sister's face was enough to almost break Jess completely, but he fought as hard as he could to keep a smile on his lips.

"C'mon, Tues, you knew you couldn't stay here forever," he reminded her, crouched down at her level by the car door.

"You are," she countered.

"No, I'm not. Not forever," he said, shaking his head. "I'll come visit you and you'll come visit me, and we'll call and write and everything, just like we said we would. It'll be cool, okay?"

Tuesday sniffed hard and bravely nodded, even as she continued to silently cry. Jess pulled her into his arms and hugged her as tight as he dare. She hugged him back just as hard, not wanting to let go even when she really had to.

"Come on, baby girl," said Liz, prising her away. "Time to get in the car or we're gonna miss that plane. Daddy's waiting on us, remember?"

Tuesday finally let up her hold on Jess and allowed her uncle Luke to help her into the back seat, ensuring she was properly strapped in.

Jess got to his feet and faced Liz then. She was faring no better than Tuesday on the crying stakes by now.

"My baby boy," she said, wrapping both arms around Jess and hugging him so tight. "I am so, so proud of you, kid," she promised him. "I'm gonna miss you like hell, but I'll never not be proud, okay?"

"I got it," he assured her as they parted and she held his face in her hands. "Take care of Tues, okay?"

"You know I will." Liz nodded. "And I promise, me and Jimmy will do right by her, whatever it takes. We'll keep you posted on all of that."

"Okay." Jess nodded, biting his lip and swallowing hard. "Thought you said you had a plane to catch," he reminded her then, afraid he was going to break entirely if she didn't go soon.

"You keep in touch, you do what your Uncle Luke and Aunt Lorelai tell you, and take care of that beautiful girlfriend of yours, you read me?" said Liz firmly.

"Not a problem," Jess assured her, pulling her back into his arms for one last hug. "I love you, Mom," he told her softly.

"Oh, I love you too, baby," she promised, squeezing him once more before finally letting go and rushing to get into the car.

Luke was already in the driver's seat, checking she had her seatbelt on before he pulled away from the kerb, headed for the airport. Jess raised his hand in a wave then moved back up onto the porch where Lorelai, Rory, and Will were waiting, waving goodbye to Liz and Tuesday still.

"You okay?" Rory checked.

"Sure, I'm fine," Jess lied, swiping at his eyes when he thought nobody was looking.

"You'll be fine, kid, I promise," said Lorelai, her hand on his shoulder. "I know it's not the same, but if you need anything, anything at all, you can come to me or Luke. We're here for you."

"Thanks," said Jess shortly, still looking emotional.

Lorelai nodded in understanding and then started ushering Will inside. "Come on, kid. Let's get your stuff together for the party this afternoon. We wrapped Michael's gift, right?" she checked as they disappeared into the house.

Rory sat down on the porch seat, pulling on Jess' hand until he joined her.

"Are you really okay?" she checked.

"Pretty much." Jess shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I'm not exactly doing cartwheels about being away from my family and everything, but it doesn't suck being here with you," he said, smiling across at her.

"No, that definitely doesn't suck," she agreed right before they kissed.

"Mom, they're kissing _again_!"

Rory and Jess parted, both laughing out loud at the sound of Will's disgusted exclamation on the other side of the nearest window.

"Little brothers are great." Rory rolled her eyes.

"You'd never wanna be without him," Jess countered.

"No, I guess not" she agreed, curling up closer with her head on his shoulder.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, both contemplating what they had and who they were going to be separated from in the coming weeks and months. It was a lot of a change in a short space of time. Both Rory and Jess could only hope it would be worth it in the end.

_To Be Continued..._


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews, folks :) This story is headed for a natural ending at this point. We're within maybe five chapters of that, though it's hard to tell, because my plans never quite work out how I think, even this close to the end! lol Anyway, in the meantime...**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 19

"Jess?" Rory prompted, going so far as to poke her boyfriend in the shoulder when he seemed oblivious to the fact someone was talking to him.

"Sorry, what?" he checked, shaking himself from a daze.

"Dave asked you a question," she pointed out. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he told her fast, looking to Dave. "Sorry, man. What did you say?"

"I was just asking about California," he admitted, now looking a little awkward that such a big deal had been made about a simple 'making conversation' sort of a question. "Personally, I've never been. I did apply to Stanford but that didn't work out."

"Which is sad," Lane chimed in, "but at least this way you'll be closer to home."

"Which makes both my mom and Lane very happy," said Dave, rolling his eyes.

Jess smirked. "California isn't a bad place, but in the end, it is just a place. I lived all over until I was twelve. Take it from me, the constant sun only has its perks for so long, and other than that, one state is much like the other. Good people, bad people, nice places, crappy places."

"He gets into these philosophical moods sometimes," said Rory, smiling at her boyfriend.

"Just call me Aristotle," Jess dead-panned, drinking the last of his coffee. "We about done here?" he asked then, looking around at empty plates and mostly empty cups on the table.

"Uh, yeah," said Lane, nodding her head. "I guess it is getting kind of late," she noted, checking her watch.

That wasn't exactly true, but they all knew what Mrs Kim was like about curfew. If Lane wasn't back home before most teens would even leave the house on a Friday night, heads were bound to roll, and it was a good five-to-ten-minute walk home from Al's, not counting the kiss goodnight.

The double date ended with a whimper more than a bang, as they left the eatery together and parted ways outside, Dave walking Lane home, Rory and Jess going off in the other direction, headed nowhere in particular.

Rory tucked herself into Jess' side, his arm around her shoulders as they walked. He wasn't just philosophical tonight, he was kind of moody, perhaps even sad too.

"Now tell me what's wrong," she insisted, as soon as they had walked far enough that nobody was likely to hear.

"I'm fine," Jess insisted, until he caught the look on her face. "Wow, that is some withering stare you have there."

"It's been known to cause some damage," Rory admitted. "Tell me what's wrong," she said again, determined as he had ever seen her. "We both know you're going to spit it out eventually, so it may as well be now."

"Rory," he said, groaning in complaint. "Can't you just let it go?"

"No, I can't," she told him, pulling them both to a halt at the end of the sidewalk. "Jess, is it... is it me? I mean, did you realise that you made a mistake and that-"

Before she could get any further in her line of questioning, he took her face in his hands, pulling her to him and kissing her soundly on the lips. He pulled back just a little, their foreheads still touching and a half-smile playing at his lips.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Uh-huh." Rory nodded slightly, momentarily speechless from the kiss. "The second question, yes, but not the first one," she confirmed as she got her bearings again. "I still want to know what's wrong. If it's not me then is it your family? Do you miss your parents and Tuesday?"

"Mostly Tuesday," Jess admitted, taking Rory's hand in his as they set of walking again. "Not that I don't care about Liz and Jimmy, obviously, but... I don't know, things were so crazy at home. So not fun," he said with a sigh. "I can deal with taking a break from them, at least until they figure things out once and for all. It is weird being without Tues though."

"I'm sorry," Rory told him. "I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better."

"There is," Jess told her, "and you're already doing it," he promised, finding her a smile. "You're here and you're you, that's all I need you to be."

"Philosophical and romantic," she noted with a grin. "Pretty good combo."

"Glad you think so." Jess smiled, leaning in to steal another quick kiss.

They continued on in a more comfortable silence than before, headed for diner. It was already closed, as they knew it would be, but Luke was still inside, cleaning up and checking receipts when they got there. Without a word, Rory and Jess agreed to go inside and were soon offering to help with whatever was left of the closing up routine.

"Thanks, but I got it covered," Luke assured them. "I'm two receipts away from being done and then I am headed home for a well-earned rest."

"Sounds good." Jess nodded, hand still holding on to Rory's own. "Uh, it's cool if we go upstairs, right? I was gonna lend Rory this book."

"Upstairs is yours now, Jess, whenever you're not away at college. You come and go as you please, you know that," said Luke, barely looking up from what he was doing.

Jess already knew that was true, it was more being respectful of the fact that he was taking Rory upstairs with him than anything else. Luke may not be her father by blood, but he was her dad in every other way, it was unlikely he wanted to think of her alone with her boyfriend doing what couples tended to do on or after dates.

"I won't be home late," Rory promised as Luke grabbed his keys and headed past them towards the door.

"Hey, I trust you. Both of you," he said, looking back at her and Jess. "Just don't make me regret that decision, okay?"

"Understood." Jess nodded once, even as Rory went beet red at the very idea of what was being implied.

"Well, that was awful," she said, the moment Luke was gone.

"What?" Jess shrugged, tugging on her hand until she followed him towards the stairs.

"Are you kidding?" asked Rory, eyes wide. "He knows we're planning on... Well, not reading," she said pointedly.

"Huh," said Jess, fighting a smile and losing. "You mean we're not here to read? I thought that was why we were here," he said as they reached the top of the stairs and faced each other outside of the door to the apartment.

"Yes, that's clearly what you brought me here for," said Rory too seriously. "Studious reading activities. Nothing else."

She was glad when Jess failed to agree with her that time, instead pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply. They went stumbling backwards through the door into the apartment, making it all the way across the open space and collapsing in a pile of limbs on the couch.

They never really talked about the physical side of their relationship. It wasn't as if Rory or Jess were inexperienced. They had both dated before and were just so naturally comfortable with each other that getting to second base hadn't seemed like a huge deal. Once before, they got as far as third, but Rory made it clear she was not in a place yet where she wanted to go any further, and Jess was a decent enough guy to respect that. Tonight seemed different. Tonight, it was as if she was sending out every possible signal that she was very much ready for whatever came next.

Then the phone rang.

"Ignore it," Jess insisted, pulling Rory back when she moved to get away.

"But... hmm," she murmured as he kissed her one more time, almost succeeding in making her forget all about the phone, but whoever was calling wasn't giving in. "It could be important," she insisted, though her resolve was weakening and they both knew it.

Unfortunately, when she said 'important' like that it sobered Jess up a little too quickly. His family lived on the other side of the country, anything could be happening there and he wouldn't know. Plus, it was a good three hours earlier in the evening there, more likely for someone to be calling from California than locally.

With a heaving sigh, he reluctantly parted from Rory and reached for the phone.

"Hello?" he said, trying to get some control over certain parts of his anatomy - it helped considerably when he heard who was on the other end of the line. "Liz, hi."

Rory looked almost as mortified as if Jess' mom had walked into the room than simply called, pulling at her clothes and fixing her hair with determination. Jess might have found it amusing if he wasn't so concerned about why Liz might be calling all of a sudden.

"Don't start to panic, okay?" Liz insisted in his ear. "Nothing terrible has happened to anybody, it's just a regular phone call."

"Always good to hear," Jess noted. "So, general catch up?"

"Not exactly," his mom admitted. "I got Tuesday here, bouncing up and down like there's a spring in her butt. She just really wants to talk to you. That's cool, right?"

"Always," said Jess, pulling the phone away from his face and covering the mouthpiece so he could talk to Rory without being heard. "Tuesday needs to talk. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she promised. "Um, I'll make coffee," she said, getting up to go into the kitchen area and do just that, while Jess had a talk with his sister.

Honestly, Rory wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed about the phone call from California. She hadn't come here with Jess purposefully thinking they might do more than just fool around on the couch, but it was sort of the natural progression from where they had gotten lately.

It was so strange, they had only been dating a few weeks, but Rory felt like she had known Jess her whole life. Truthfully, she had, in a way. They were born just over a month apart and lived as best friends when they were little kids. Sure, there was a big gulf of time in the middle when they didn't see each other at all, but Rory knew that she was safe with Jess, that she was in good hands, that she was completely in love too. The thought made her smile, even as a shiver ran through her. She hadn't exactly said the words, neither of them had. No 'I love yous' had passed their lips, it just seemed to be a given somehow, at least on Rory's side. She hoped Jess felt the same. She believed he did, even if that made her a fool.

When the coffee was ready, she filled two mugs from the cabinet and brought them over to where Jess was still sat on the couch, finishing up his call with Tuesday.

"I promise I'll give you a call this weekend, okay? You know I will. Love you too, Tues. Bye."

"She misses you," said Rory as she dropped down to sit beside him.

"She does, crazy kid," Jess joked, smirking as he tossed the phone aside. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," Rory assured him, handing him his coffee. "I'll just drink this and then I should probably head home," she said then, eyes on her coffee rather than Jess.

She half-expected him to argue, a part of her wanted him to, and yet the mood had been officially killed. Now no longer seemed like the right moment for what Rory had thought might happen here tonight. If Jess was mad or disappointed, he didn't let it show. Rory hoped she didn't either, though it was tough.

Five minutes later, her coffee barely half-drunk, Rory was downstairs, on the outside of the diner door.

"I still say I should walk you home," Jess told her from the inside. "It's no problem."

"It's Stars Hollow and it's barely even late, I really don't need an escort," she assured him with a smile, "but I do appreciate the thoughtfulness," she added, leaning in and putting her hand to his cheek.

She initiated one last kiss that probably got a little too intense given they could be seen if anyone happened to walk by. When they parted, Jess looked a little dizzy and Rory understood why.

"Keep thinking what you're thinking," she advised with a look she was sure he couldn't misinterpret.

Jess sighed. "I don't have a choice," he admitted, watching her walk away.

_To Be Continued..._


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks for the reviewage on the previous chapter, folks. Apologies that updates aren't quite as frequent as they were. Even as we head towards an ending on this fic, I'm struggling to find time to write everything that needs to be written - I am juggling 5 stories at this point and it's just this side of too much! lol**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 20

"Come on, you always love Summer Madness!" Lorelai insisted when Rory continued to sigh and complain about the latest town event. "What's gotten into you this week?"

"I'm sorry." Rory sighed one more time, pulling at her dress and realising she liked the previous one she had on way better. "I just keep thinking how this is the last big town event before summer is over, and then I'm going to Harvard, which is great," she added fast, seeing that Lorelai was about to cut in. "It is, I mean, Harvard's the dream and I do wanna go but..."

"But it means leaving home, leaving me and Luke and Will, and leaving Jess," said Lorelai with a knowing look. "That's a lot to miss."

"Really is," Rory agreed, nodding her head. "Am I being pathetic?"

"No, babe, not at all," her mom promised, coming further into the room and pulling Rory into her arms for a big hug. "It is so not pathetic to love your family and your boyfriend and not want to be away from home. We love you too and we're going to miss the heck out of you, especially Mommy."

Rory giggled at that, even as she teared up at the same time.

"God, I am so proud of you, kid," said Lorelai, pushing her daughter's hair back over her shoulder and smoothing it out. "You're gonna do great things and that is awesome, but it's okay to be a little sad about leaving, just so long as you don't let it ruin the experience of what the rest of life has to offer, you know?"

"I know," Rory agreed. "I'm sorry, I just need to get over myself."

"Well, maybe a little bit," Lorelai agreed with a smile. "At least enough to enjoy today, 'cause you know it's going to be a riot, right? Taylor letting Kirk help with the organising? Always good for a laugh, plus this is the first one of these crazy shindigs that Jess has been to."

"That's true," said Rory, nodding her head, recalling that Summer Madness was one of the newer festivals in Stars Hollow - it hadn't been happening when they were young kids. "I'm pretty sure he's not all that excited about it though."

"I'm pretty sure he will be when he sees you in this fabulous dress," Lorelai insisted, grabbing up the very one Rory had decided was just right for today.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, kid. Now, get into this dress so we can go have a good time!"

* * *

"How do you even stand this?" asked Jess as he and Luke stood on the street outside the diner watching the latest town event unfold before their eyes. "I mean, I do have some weird attachment to this nutty little town, it's not like I hate the place or anything, but this?" he said, waving his hand in a vague gesture at the surrounding madness.

"You just ignore as much of the really crazy stuff as you can, take deep breaths through the rest, and eventually, it ends," said Luke with a sigh. "Plus, there is the occasional perk to days like today."

"Like what?" Jess asked, an incredulous expression on his face as he looked over at his uncle.

Luke only smiled and pointed down the street until Jess turned back to look. It was then he saw Lorelai and Rory approaching with Will running ahead. Both girls looked a million bucks, though of course, Jess' attention was almost entirely on his girlfriend.

"Okay, point taken," he said, smirking at his uncle.

The three reached them then, all grinning like fools, and apparently more than a little excited to participate in all possible Summer Madness activities. Luke offered his arm to Lorelai, kissed her cheek and told her she looked beautiful before they walked away with Will to join in the fun.

"Look at them," said Jess, shaking his head. "Even with a nine-year-old in tow, they're more like teenagers than we are."

"I know, kind of amazing after all this time," Rory agreed. "I love to see them that happy though. It's so rare for couples these days to still be together... Oh, Jess, I'm sorry," she said, the moment her brain caught up with her mouth. "I wasn't thinking about your parents-"

"It's fine," he told her fast. "Hey, seriously, don't worry about it," he insisted when she continued to look guilty. Jess put his hand to Rory's cheek and guided her close enough to kiss her lips. "You worry way too much, you know that?"

"I actually do." Rory sighed. "Sorry."

"You apologise too much also." Jess smirked, putting his arm around her shoulders and dropping another kiss on her temple. "Come on, I'll buy you an ice-cream or a cotton candy or whatever the hell will make you happy."

"A caramel apple and you winning me a bear on the coconut shy would probably do it," she said, fluttering her eyelashes at him in an over-the-top damselly way that would make her mother proud.

"As you wish." Jess smiled.

* * *

"I don't know who is the bigger kid, you or Will," said Luke, rolling his eyes as he handed both his wife and son the biggest possible servings of cotton candy each.

"Oh, definitely me," Lorelai assured him with a serious look that gave way to a grin within seconds. "So, what's it going to be this year, baby boy? The ring toss, the milk bottles, ooh, the archery?"

Will looked thoughtful as he turned a full circle, checking out all the stands and possible games he could choose to play. The last two years he had picked out one that he was just determined to win and played for the whole time he was at the event, spending all the money he was allowed until he got his prize. Lorelai assumed it would be the same again this year.

"Why don't you just take one turn at everything instead of blowing every cent on one thing?" asked Luke, tilting his head as he watched Will try to make a decision. "Might stand more chance of winning something and have some real fun."

"Wow, things are getting serious, Will," said Lorelai, glancing up at her husband. "Daddy just said there was the possibility of real fun at a town event!"

Will was so intent on his decision-making process (which Luke was only glad didn't involve pro-con lists) that he failed to hear what his mom had said. Lorelai laughed at her husband's expression though. He was always paying attention.

"You want me to go? Because I'll go," said Luke, fighting the urge to smile even as he threatened to abandon the whole Summer Madness after barely ten minutes.

"No, no, no. There will be no going," Lorelai insisted, grabbing a hold of his arm with her free hand. "No Mr Grumpy Pants at Summer Madness, remember?"

"I remember," he promised, taking a hold of her hand and raising it to his lips to kiss. "So, what's it to be, Will?" he asked his son then, crouching down to his level.

"Hmm, milk bottles," he said after a while. "I can throw a ball pretty hard since you showed me how. At school, the teacher said I'm a natural pitcher."

"Okay." Luke nodded, reaching into his back pocket and handing over some money to his son. "Knock yourself out."

"Not literally!" Lorelai called after Will as he pelted off in the direction of his chosen game.

Luke laughed at her bad joke, putting his arm around her and only narrowly avoiding getting her cotton candy in his face in the process.

"Come on, crazy lady," he said, encouraging her to walk with him. "Let's see if we can't have some fun too."

* * *

He lasted an hour. Jess was really trying to be upbeat and embrace the whole crazy town event like Luke advised, but it kind of wasn't happening. Rory was great. She looked beautiful, which she pretty much always did, and she was doing her best to make jokes and keep Jess in a good mood, but unfortunately, he was just generally underwhelmed by the whole thing.

"It's not your fault," he assured his disappointed girlfriend, "and I'm sorry I'm not in the best mood today. I just have stuff on my mind, you know?"

"Stuff?" Rory echoed, as they walked over to the bench and sat down. "Like what?"

"Like, my parents, and Tuesday, and school starting next week." Jess sighed, running his hands over his face. "You know, Jimmy called me last night. I don't think I ever heard him apologise so many times in a row, but it's not his fault either, not really," he explained, looking at Rory and not being at all surprised at her confused expression. "They're getting a divorce," he explained. "I wasn't going to tell you today because I know you'll be all sad about it and I know how much you love this event and everything. I'm sorry, Ror."

"No, it's fine," she assured him, grabbing up one of his hands in both of hers and squeezing. "You need to talk about this, so I want you to. I know I get a little crazy about town events and other stupid stuff that you don't understand-"

"Hey, they're not stupid," Jess told her definitely. "Sure, I don't really understand the appeal, but if you like it, then it's cool. I'm not judging you."

"I know, I didn't mean it that way," she insisted. "What I meant was, this is great," she said, tilting her head towards the chaotic fun of Summer Madness, "and I do love it, but... but I love you more," she admitted, blushing even as she spoke the words. "You matter so much to me, Jess, and if you need to talk or be otherwhere right now, then I'm with you, okay?"

Jess stared at her a long moment, some kind of expression of wonderment on his face, before he leaned in and kissed her lips. "In case you were wondering," he said softly as he pulled back, "I love you too."

Rory smiled so wide her face ached. "Well, that works out pretty well then."

"I think so," Jess agreed, smiling back at her. "Maybe we could get out of here, if you don't mind?"

"Sure, let's go." Rory nodded as they both go to their feet, walking back across town square, hand in hand.

Jess led the way to the diner, that was closed for the duration of the festival, and unlocked the door. He took Rory up to the apartment and got them both a soda from the fridge before joining her on the couch.

"So, divorce," she said, looking as awkward as she probably felt. "That's a big deal."

"Yeah, but it's for the best," Jess assured her, staring at the can in his hand like maybe it would have the answer to everything written on it somewhere. "Living with Liz and Jimmy the last few years, it's been more and more like a war zone. It's not good for them and it sure as hell wasn't good for Tuesday. They're not bad people or even bad parents, they just... I don't know, some people just shouldn't stay married, I guess."

"I guess," Rory echoed. "It's sad, but like you said, maybe it's better this way. I know a couple of people from school whose parents get along so much better since they got divorced than they ever did when they were together."

"There's hope then." Jess smiled, though the expression didn't entirely meet his eyes.

Rory sighed and put her drink down on the table, taking Jess' can from his hand and placing it with hers. Before he had quite processed what was going on, she was kissing him, practically pushing herself into his lap. Jess knew for sure he would be an idiot to push her away, so he didn't, but as kissing turned into full make-out, which then got increasingly horizontal and headed in a very obvious direction, then he knew it was time to back off.

"Rory, stop," he urged her, trying to get away, not very successfully at first.

"It's okay," she assured him, before kissing him again. "I'm okay."

"Yeah, well, I'm not," Jess insisted, twisting out from where she had him pinned down and getting to his feet.

Rory was frowning hard as she looked up at him and Jess felt like a heel for hurting her, but this was not how things were supposed to go. It took a couple of minutes of deep breathing and thinking about the most boring topics in the world before he even had enough capacity to pace the floor, never mind figure out what he wanted to say.

"I thought I was helping," said Rory sadly.

"Rory, come on." Jess sighed. "That's not... I mean, yeah, that would probably make me pretty happy. Very happy, if I'm honest, but... but that's not cool."

"It's not like I haven't... I mean, not a lot or anything, but I'm not... You don't have to worry about me," she said, folding her arms over her chest and hoping her meaning was clear without her having to say more.

Jess sighed and sank down onto the couch beside her again. "Rory, it's not about that, or maybe it is, partially, but the point is, it shouldn't be about cheering me up, okay?" he insisted, taking a hold of her hand and encouraging her to look at him. "I know I'm probably turning into a girl as I say this, but you and me, I want it to mean something, you know? You are way too special for this to happen just because I'm having a bad day and you wanna make it better. Please tell me you understand what I'm saying?"

Rory nodded, even as a tear streaked down her cheek, her free hand coming up fast to wipe it away. She did get it, Jess knew she had to. They were on the same wave length so often, he would be more surprised if she didn't understand just about everything he tried to make clear to her.

"You're an amazing guy, Jess Mariano," she said, smiling then, her hand at his cheek.

"Yeah, well, don't go telling everybody that," he replied, turning his head to kiss her palm. "I only wanna have to be amazing for you, Rory Gilmore-Danes."

_To Be Continued..._


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thanks for all those supportive reviews, folks - much appreciated, as always :) I know the emotions in this story are all up and down, but there will at least be a happy ending, I can promise that much :)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 21

"You were right," Rory sighed contentedly as she lay back against the pillows next to Jess.

"I'd like to say, 'Aren't I always?' but I'd love to know what you're talking about first,'" he said, pushing his hair back off his forehead as he turned to look at her.

"Waiting, letting it be special," Rory explained, breathing a little unevenly still. "I'm glad we did."

"Yeah, me too," Jess agreed, drawing her closer to kiss her lips.

She curled into his side then, her arm across his chest and head at his shoulder. Rory was pretty sure she had never been so happy and comfortable in her whole life. It didn't matter that the bed wasn't really meant for two people to share or that she knew already she and Jess wouldn't be able to spend the whole night together. It was enough that they had this time right now, that they had the opportunity and inclination to be together as they just had been, and it really had been so special.

"I didn't think it was possible that you going away to Harvard tomorrow could feel any tougher, but right now, it's killing me to even imagine you getting out of this bed," Jess said softly against her hair.

Rory smiled. "Then I guess I'll stay right here, forever."

"Yep, that'll be practical."

"Meh, we'll figure it out."

It was fine to joke, but they had to face up to reality eventually. Rory didn't want to, not really, and suspected Jess felt much the same.

"I should have picked Yale," she said with a sigh. "Why didn't I?"

"Because," Jess replied, fingers making idle patterns at her shoulder, "you picked Harvard, before you were even out of diapers, I think. At least, that's the story I was always told."

"My mom does like to tell it that way," Rory agreed, shifting position so she could see Jess' face. "I don't even remember a time when I wasn't planning to go to Harvard, but I'm not sure I ever really knew why. Yale's a perfectly good school too."

"Really?" Jess asked, smirking some. "'Cause I heard they let just anybody in that place. Even California beatniks from broken homes."

"Jess," Rory shot him a warning look. "First of all, you are not actually _from_ California, not originally. Also, you are hardly a beatnik, and your home isn't exactly broken."

The last part came out way more awkward and quiet than she meant for it too, but she couldn't help it. It made her sad that Aunt Liz and Uncle Jimmy couldn't figure things out, for herself as much as Jess and even Tuesday, if she were honest. They were both such great people, it seemed wrong that they just couldn't be great together anymore.

"Have you talked to them in the last few days?"

"Liz called." Jess nodded. "Said she was sorry but it was for the best and she'll keep me updated, you know, with who's gonna be living where and all. She put Tuesday on for a while too."

"Was she okay?"

"Weirdly, yes. There were a few tears, but that seemed to be as much about me not being there as anything. That made me feel great." Jess sighed, running his free hand over his face.

Rory hugged him tight and kissed his cheek. "It's not your fault."

"I know," he agreed, though he didn't really sound like he believed it. "I do know," he tried again when he realised he was getting the withering stare. "Come on, you can't expect me to be happy that my kid sister is miserable without me."

"Of course I don't expect that." Rory rolled her eyes. "But you know Tuesday wants what's best for you, same as you do for her. Even at her age, she understands what a big deal Yale is and I know she's as proud of you as anybody ever could be."

Jess smiled at her then, tucking her hair behind her ear. "You know, you're pretty amazing, Rory Gilmore-Danes. I ever tell you that?"

"A couple of times," she said, smiling back at him, "but I can stand to hear it again."

"Yeah, well, it's true," Jess confirmed.

"I think you might have to prove that to me, Jess Mariano," she said then, shifting her body against his own.

Rory didn't expect Jess to disappoint her and he didn't.

* * *

They knew the moment was coming. They'd known for weeks now, and yet, when it finally arrived, it was no easier for the knowing about it in advance. Today was the day when Rory headed off to Boston to start Harvard and Jess was New Haven-bound to begin at Yale. Thanks to some particularly evil planning on the part of the two fine institutions of learning, the kids had to go to their assigned places on the same weekend, which meant Luke and Lorelai had to divide and conquer.

"It's fine, you go with Rory, I'll help Jess," Luke had suggested.

Lorelai had scoffed at that. "No, because Rory has to take more stuff, because she's going to be further away, so we need the truck which, even after several years of happy marriage, you still don't trust me to drive!"

"You can't drive a stick," Luke reminded her with a look. "So, I'll take Rory and you stay and help Jess."

He ought to have known that wasn't going to work, because naturally, Lorelai wanted to be with her daughter until the very last minute. It was after at least ten minutes of back and forth that Jess had, inadvertently, walked into the living room of the Crap Shack and declared he could cope on his own and that they should both go with Rory.

Though Luke insisted that wasn't fair, he wasn't sure how else they were going to resolve anything, so he gave in. It was then that Jess suggested, if Luke and Lorelai didn't mind, maybe he could take Will with him to Yale.

"Really, you want to take a nine-year-old to college?" Lorelai asked, wide-eyed and clearly confused.

"Well, not permanently or anything," Jess told her with a wicked smirk, "but he could help carry some stuff, right? I mean, only if he wants to. I get it if he doesn't or if you wanna take him with you to Boston or whatever. It was just an idea."

Luke yelled for Will then, who dutifully came downstairs, albeit he was trying to read between steps, and Lorelai asked him what he wanted to do on the big college moving day.

"I don't have to come to Harvard?" he checked.

Lorelai frowned. "Um, no, you don't _have_ to. I just figured you'd probably want to help out your sister."

"Not really." Will shrugged. "I mean, she has you and dad to help her with moving, and when Rory has to stay there, she's just gonna get all girly and cry and everything. I hate that."

On that note, things were firmly settled. Luke would drive the truck full of most of Rory's possessions to Harvard. Lorelai would follow in the Jeep with more stuff and Rory herself. Jess would stay behind and use Rory's car to take his essentials to Yale, probably in a couple of journeys, and Will got to be his companion and assistant. It suited everybody. The only tough part was when Rory and Jess had to say their goodbyes.

"So, this is it," she said, a death grip on both his hands.

"Seems that way," he agreed, nodding his head.

Luke and Lorelai had the good grace to stay in their vehicles and let the teens do the goodbye thing alone, but it still wasn't coming easy.

"I don't think I've ever felt so torn about anything." Rory sniffled. "I'm so excited to go to Harvard, but leaving you, and Stars Hollow, and everybody..."

"Hey, it's not forever," Jess assured her. "Come on, Ror, we spent almost a decade apart before this and look at us now. Nothing's going to change. I'll be right here, every time you come home, and hey, maybe sometimes, I can come visit you in Boston. It's not that far."

"It feels far," she countered, pulling one hand free from his to swipe at her eyes. "Is it too late to ask them to move the schools closer together?"

"I could write a letter, but somehow I don't think anyone would go for it."

Rory laughed at the dumb joke, though it came out more of a sob than a giggle.

"Take care of yourself in that big city, okay?" said Jess then, pulling her closer and tucking her hair behind her ear. "No falling for those sophisticated Harvard guys."

"Not a chance," Rory promised, kissing him long and hard. "No looking at those Yale girls the way you look at me, okay?"

"I'll close my eyes every time I pass one in the halls just to be sure," he promised her as faithfully as anyone could in the circumstances.

One last kiss and they had to part with whispered words of love and devotion. Jess stepped back and watched Rory get into the Jeep with her mom, waving to her until she was gone from sight. He didn't notice that Will had come out of the house until he suddenly spoke from beside him.

"You're not gonna cry too, are you?"

"Probably not," he said, though honestly, it had been a close-run thing. "You're gonna miss her too, right?" he said, tilting his head down the driveway where the Jeep and truck had both just disappeared.

"Sure." Will shrugged. "Rory's awesome, but she has to go to Harvard. It's been the plan since forever."

"That's true." Jess nodded his agreement.

He headed for the car then which was already packed up with most of his stuff for Yale. Climbing into the driver's side, he waited for Will to join him and put on his seatbelt.

"How far is Yale?" the kid asked as Jess started the car.

"About twenty miles, why?"

"Cool." Will grinned, pulling a paperback from inside his jacket. "I can probably finish this on the way there," he declared happily, opening the book at the marker and diving right in.

Jess leaned over a little to catch a glimpse of the cover. Smiling and shaking his head, he put the car in gear and headed for New Haven.

The truth was, Jess and Will hadn't really hung out much since he came visiting for the summer. He was usually with Rory, while the younger siblings had spent a lot of time together while Tuesday was in the Hollow. Since she had gone home, well, Jess was still spending most of his time with Rory, especially as their time together grew ever shorter. The only times he really saw Will was when he was over at the Crap Shack eating dinner with the whole family. Even then, the kid seemed to be putting his food away at an ungodly speed so he could go read some more.

As it turned out, he had read a lot of stuff that Jess liked at his age and much more besides. When they finally got to Yale, Will had finished the book as predicted and they got to talking about that particular story and then a whole lot of others as they unloaded the car and set up in Jess' room.

Hours later, Jess felt like he had made a new friend, maybe even kind of got himself a little brother, in a way, which was cool. He and Will went to eat at the diner when they were done and were sat in comfortable silence, both with a book in their hands, when Luke came in and found them there.

"Well, if anyone was going to turn my diner into a library, it was going to be you guys," he said, getting their attention.

"Hey, Dad." Will grinned up at him. "Jess leant me this. It's so good," he said, flashing the cover before Luke's eyes.

"Yeah, I guess so," his father agreed, even though he had no clue what the book was about. "You all moved into Yale, Jess?"

"Pretty much," he said, marking his place in his own book and putting it down on the table. "Rory all set up at Harvard?"

"She is." Luke nodded. "She was kind of tearful when we left, though not as bad as Lorelai. It's hit her hard, having her baby so far away, you know?"

Jess nodded in understanding, but made no comment. It was easier not to think about Rory being gone right now.

"You know, when you can get this kid to take his nose out of a book, he's a solid worker," he said of Will then. "Shifts boxes like an all-star."

"Really?" Luke smiled.

"Jess gave me five dollars for helping," said Will proudly, though his eyes barely left the page.

"He did?" said Luke, giving Jess a look. "You didn't have to do that."

"He earned it." Jess shrugged easily.

"I should pay you for babysitting."

"Come on, he helped. Besides, I already got Rory's car out of this deal, at least on a temporary basis until I can figure something out."

Jess realised too late that he broke his own rule, mentioning Rory all too soon. Sure, it was Lorelai and Luke who had Rory in their lives from Day One all the way through to now, where Jess had only really had her in any real way for a few weeks, but it cut deep inside of him. Given the right circumstances, he was pretty sure he could cry just as hard as Lorelai. Not that he would admit to it.

"You miss her already, huh?" said Luke with a knowing look.

"That obvious?" said Jess awkwardly.

Luke shrugged. "Only because I miss her too," he said, patting Jess on the shoulder.

He walked away to the counter then and Jess was about to get back to reading when his cell suddenly rang in his pocket.

"Maybe that's Rory," said Will, but Jess barely heard.

He already had the phone in his hand and the name of the caller was not his girlfriend.

"Liz?"

"Hey, baby boy," said Liz in his ear. "How're you doing?"

"Fine," he assured her. "I got all my stuff moved into my dorm at Yale. I'll be heading back soon, to settle in or whatever."

"That's cool," said Liz, sounding a little strange somehow, though Jess couldn't quite put his finger on what was up. "You know I'd love to see the place sometime."

"Yeah, well, might be a while before that happens."

"Maybe not as long as you think..."

As his mother continued talking, Jess felt his eyes growing wider and wider.

"Huh."

_To Be Continued..._


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed on the previous chapter. Apologies for the delay in updating this fic. I wasn't entirely sure how to end it, but it's going to happen over a couple of small time jumps (well, one small, one a little bigger, but I think it'll be cool). This is the penultimate chapter and I hope you approve of everything that happens in it. One more to go, reader-peops, and then this adventure is done! ;)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 22

"So, the famous Rory is coming home for Thanksgiving, right?" asked Jess' room-mate, Bradley. "You gotta be pretty stoked about that."

"Doesn't suck," Jess admitted, shoving a couple more books into his bag. "You're really not heading home?"

"All the way across the country, just to watch my parents fight for four days? Dude, I can live without it."

Jess smirked but made no further comments. One of the things about college he had most dreaded was sharing a room with strangers. After all, he wasn't exactly the social type, but he just figured that he could keep to himself and not deal with the other three guys in the Yale dorm too much. That worked well with Jay, who hardly seemed to be there anyway, and Paul, who was probably even more anti-mingling than Jess himself.

Bradley, with whom he physically shared a room, was a little different. He wanted to be friendly, but not overly much, he had warring parents, which Jess could relate to, and though he could never be as much of an avid reader as Jess, he liked a good book. He also appreciated a decent alternative rock band and his favourite movie was _Almost Famous_. They got along just about as well as dorm-mates could.

"Don't go getting lonely without me," Jess joked as he swung his bag on his shoulder ready to head out.

"It's not like I'm the only one staying here." Bradley rolled his eyes. "More's the pity. If people will just leave me alone, I can probably get through all six of these things this weekend," he said, jerking his thumb towards the pile of novels on the nightstand.

Jess bit his lip but said nothing. The last thing he wanted to do was get any more caught up in the love lives of his friends than he already was.

"I hope you and Miss Austen have a great time," he said as he went out the door.

"Same to you and Rory!" Bradley called behind him.

Out through the main doors and Jess was still grinning like an idiot, he couldn't seem to help himself. It didn't feel as strange as he thought it would to be back in a place where Fall actually meant a noticeable change in the weather. It was nice actually, to see the leaves changing colour on the trees, to feel the need to put on a jacket to take a walk outside.

Locating the car half way across the parking lot, Jess threw his bag in back, then climbed in the driver's seat and set off for home. That was a weird concept too. Home. For the longest time it had been California, before that, just anywhere that the Mariano clan chose to pitch up for a few weeks or months. It was a long time since Stars Hollow had been the place that Jess belonged, but right now, he couldn't imagine wanting to live anywhere else, especially this particular holiday.

It was a little over twenty miles from New Haven to the Hollow, and with the stereo blasting, Jess barely noticed how long it took to get there. He pulled up right outside the diner and headed in without a moment's pause.

"Hello, nephew," Luke greeted him from behind the counter. "We weren't expecting you 'til later."

"Done with classes, figured I'd make a move." Jess shrugged, heading for the curtain that hid the stairs. "You need help down here?"

"I'm good," his uncle assured him. "You know if you move your butt, Lorelai and Will are going to go meet our girl at the airport. You could go along with them."

"Tempting offer," Jess considered, "but I promised another girl she'd be the first one I'd see when I got home."

Luke smiled. "I think Rory's grown-up enough to understand that."

* * *

"Jess!" Tuesday yelled, running at her brother and giving him the biggest hug.

"Hey, you couldn't let me get to the front door?" he asked, laughing at her enthusiasm even as he squeezed her right. "Damn, Tues, you just saw me a week ago."

"Ten days," Tuesday insisted, stepping back to look at him. "That's a long time when Mom is stressing out every ten minutes."

"She'll be okay when the house is straightened out, I promise," Jess assured her, getting up from his knees to walk the rest of the way down the path to the front door. "Hey, Liz?" he called as they let themselves in.

"There's my boy!" his mother cried happily, hurrying down the stairs.

When she moved to hug him, Jess backed off. "Seriously?" he checked. "This is not a cheap jacket," he reminded her.

Liz looked down at her paint-splattered hands and clothes and shook her head. "I guess I look kind of a mess, huh?"

"Jackson Pollack would be proud to have created you," Jess quipped. "Everything going okay?"

"Gettin' there," Liz considered. "It's pretty cool putting my own artistic stamp on the place, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," said Jess, nodding his head. "You letting her loose on your walls too?" he asked Tuesday then.

"Nuh-uh, I'm painting my room all by myself," she said definitely, squeezing past Liz to run on up the stairs.

"_All_ by herself?" Jess checked, a little sceptical.

Liz shook her head. "_Mostly_ by herself," she confirmed, "but let her say whatever she wants."

Jess chuckled and followed his mom as she led the way upstairs. She was as eager to show off her own room as Tuesday was to show off hers. The bathroom was functional thanks to Luke and most of the stuff that had no place else to go was piled up in the box room. All in all, it didn't look half bad, considering Liz and Tuesday only moved in a couple of weeks before.

"Thank God that brother of mine had the downstairs fixed up before we got here," Liz sighed. "Your Uncle Luke is a saint, don't you ever forget that."

"I got the memo," Jess assured her, taking another look around Liz's room. "You know, this is pretty good. I'll bet there's plenty of people around here that'd pay for help with stuff like what colour to paint their room and all."

"Like interior design?" Liz asked. "Come on, kid, I'm not qualified for that."

"So, what?" Jess shrugged. "The townies all know who you are, they like this weirdo family of ours, so why not use that to your advantage? It's like you've always told me and Tues, if you have talent, use it. You got talent, Mom."

Jess hadn't really noticed what he said until he found Liz staring at him with tears in her eyes. He was about to ask if the paint fumes were getting to her or something when he realised he had called her 'Mom.' It had been a while since he just used the word without thinking about it, but then she was acting more like a mother lately, to him and to Tuesday. She and Jimmy really were much better parents when they weren't also trying to be husband and wife.

The sound of a cell phone ringing pulled Jess from a thoughtful moment and he grinned when he saw who was calling.

"Hey, shouldn't you be on a plane?" he asked Rory, wandering out into the hall to talk to her.

"Unfortunately, not yet. There's some kind of delay going on, so it might be pretty late before I get in."

"Does your mom know? Luke said she was headed for the airport."

"She knows," Rory promised. "I called her first since I knew she and Will would probably be the ones to come meet me. Of course, I hoped you might too."

"Well, now you're gonna be later, maybe I could... and maybe Tuesday could come too," he said when his sister started jumping up and down in front of him and waving her arms, clearly indicating she wished to be included. "Things all good at Harvard still? Rory?" he prompted when she didn't answer right away.

"Um, yeah, it's... it's good. We'll talk about it when I get there," she said then, sounding strange though Jess couldn't really put his finger on why. "Did you convince Bradley to come home with you?"

"Honestly, I didn't even try that hard," Jess admitted. "He seems really dedicated to staying at Yale, with all six volumes of the Jane Austen collection."

"Ooh, boy. He does have it bad." Rory sighed. "I only hope Paris appreciates all that effort."

"You hope but you don't believe it."

"Exactly."

"Well, Bradley said to tell you hey anyway. If you're bored at the airport, I suggest you start praying for him."

"I'll hunt down a rosary and get to work. I can't wait to get back to Stars Hollow and back to you," she said then, sighing once more. "I miss you."

"Miss you too, Ror," Jess promised her, silently shooing Tuesday away when she started making gagging noises and motions to match. "Not long now 'til you'll be here, for five whole days, and when it's over, you get to take your own car back to Boston with you."

"That will be easier than navigating public transport," Rory considered, though she still didn't exactly sound happy.

Somehow, Jess had a feeling her mood wasn't all about pain in the butt airlines or too much college work exhausting her, but that was a conversation for when she got back home.

* * *

There wasn't exactly much chance for alone time, at least not at first. Rory had expected as much since she was coming home for Thanksgiving, a family event that now involved a bigger family than it had in years. Rory didn't think she had ever been so happy to see her mom and Luke and Will, or Jess for that matter. It was very cool to have Aunt Liz and Tuesday around too, though it still felt strange to be all together without Uncle Jimmy.

Rory understood his decision to stay in California. With him and Liz getting a divorce, and Tuesday missing Jess so much, no-one was entirely surprised when the ladies of the Mariano family decided to move to Stars Hollow, but Jimmy had a business in Venice and was pretty much in love with the beach. He stayed, they left.

"It doesn't feel weird to you?" asked Rory as she and Jess walked out to the middle of the bridge over the lake and sat down together. "Your dad being so far away when everybody else is here?"

"It feels extremely weird," Jess confessed with a sigh, "but there's not much I can do about it. Honestly, having him here would probably just make for as many fights between him and Liz as they had back in Venice. They're better off apart, and sure, it's tough on Tuesday, and not great for me either, but we'll visit. It'll be cool."

Rory nodded that she understood. After all, Christopher, her biological father, was miles away from her and she barely saw him at all these days. Of course, she had Luke instead who was more her dad than Chris had ever been, so it was different.

"Now that we're finally alone, there's something I've been wanting to say to you," said Jess, his gaze very intense when he met Rory's eyes.

"What did you want to say?" she checked.

"This," he said softly, moving in closer and covering her lips with his own.

It was a good while before they came up for air and Rory's head was swimming in the best way by the time they parted.

"Wow," she gasped. "That was... Good talk."

Jess smirked and let his forehead rest against Rory's own. "I missed the hell out of you, Gilmore-Danes."

"Right back at ya, Mariano," she assured him. "Don't get me wrong, Harvard is great, and when I got home I really did want to spend time with everybody, but alone with you is very good too," she said, kissing him again and again.

"Good distraction technique," he commended her, even as he pulled away again, "but I seem to recall you were going to tell me something important when we finally got the chance to be alone."

"I was?"

"Rory," he said, her name coming out like a warning despite the innocent tone she had used herself. "Come on, I know something is going on. You were so weird on the phone when I asked how things were at college and every time anybody has mentioned Harvard since you got here, you smile and say it's great, but there's this look that goes with it."

"What look?" she asked, as if she didn't know.

Honestly, Rory was amazed her mom hadn't called her on it, but perhaps just having the prodigal daughter return home was blinding Lorelai to the truth. Jess was not so easily outwitted and she should've known better than to try it with him.

"Do I have to turn you upside down and shake it out of you?" he asked, smiling slightly. "Rory, come on, what's going on?"

She heaved a huge sigh and shook her head.

"It's just... Harvard is great," she repeated, as she had been for weeks, always with that same look or tone or something that made Jess think she didn't entirely mean that 'great' somehow. "The professors are amazing and the classes are good and I get along with the people. I really do not have a basis for any kind of complaint, except..."

"Except?" Jess prompted when she got quiet, his finger lifting her chin until she looked at him again. "Except, what, Ror?"

"Except, it's not here," she said, lip shaking and eyes filling up with tears. "And I know it's pathetic and stupid, and I should be way more grown-up about all this than I am, but I so just want to be here, Jess. I wish I'd picked Yale so I could be where you are, where Paris is. So I could get the chance to come home on weekends to see Mom and Luke and Will, and Liz and Tuesday, and Lane, and... everybody. I feel so disconnected, so far away, even though it's not really that far at all. I try so hard to be okay about it but... but I'm just not."

That was when the floodgates opened and Rory couldn't help it anymore. Jess pulled her into his arms as she cried and cried, rubbing her back and promising her it would be okay, that they would work something out.

A while later, when Rory finally felt like she could speak, she pulled back to look at Jess, sniffling and wiping her face with the back of her hand.

"You think I'm pathetic now, don't you?"

"Never," he promised her, kissing her forehead. "I think you're amazing, Rory, you know that, and I could not love you more. Come on, you think I don't want you to be here just as much as you wish you could be?" he said, shaking his head. "I would love for you to be at Yale, and okay, maybe you can't be right now, but what's to stop you transferring, if you really wanted to?"

"It's not as simple as that," Rory said sadly, swallowing hard. "You can't just say, 'Oops, changed my mind,' and switch schools. There has to be a process and-"

"So, we'll go through the process," Jess insisted. "Rory, you know if you talk to Lorelai and Luke about this, they're gonna help you. They only want you to be happy, same as me," he promised, holding her face in his hands.

"I know that," Rory agreed, "but Harvard was the dream."

"And the dream changed." Jess shrugged. "They'll understand. God, they understand about us dating, and about Liz and Tuesday moving into a house half a block from them. They'll understand that you're not happy at Harvard and want to go to school somewhere else. In fact, I'm pretty sure they'll be thrilled to have you so much closer to home too."

Rory took a deep breath and then finally smiled. "I love you, Jess," she told him then. "So much" she added, holding him tight. "I'm so glad you came back to Stars Hollow."

"Me too," he assured her, hugging her back, realising that now, more than ever, he really meant it.

_To Be Continued..._


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Here we are at the end of the line for this fic too. It's quite the coincidence that both my latest Literati stories have come to a close around the same time, but hey, what can you do? The stories end where they end and it just worked out this way this go around. Thanks to all those who left reviews, whether it was on one of the previous chapters, all twenty-two, or anywhere in between. Your support is always apprecaited :) Now, hope about another happy ending for Rory, Jess, and just about everybody actually? ;)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 23

"I told him, I don't need him hanging around like some weirdo while I take my last final. I mean, this is not the nineteenth century, I don't need a chaperone, and if I did, you're here. Honestly, I love the guy but he's not always the smartest person in the world."

Jess smiled to himself as Paris yammered on. It was funny, at the beginning of the school year, when they first ran into each other at Yale, he wasn't sure it was a good thing. She had some attitude on her, some pretty crazy opinions too, and she thought a lot of herself, but Paris was also Rory's friend and any connection to her was welcome while she was so far away in Harvard. At this point, Jess would have to admit he and Paris were some strange kind of friends themselves, her incessant talking having become almost as welcome as Rory's own rambling could be. Almost. Not quite.

"Bradley said you were going to visit with his family over the summer?"

"That's the plan." Paris nodded. "God knows what they're going to think of me."

"Probably the same as the rest of us do." Jess shrugged. "That you're a little too smart for your own good and just the right amount of crazy to be interesting," he said, bumping her shoulder with his own.

Paris tried not to smile but could hardly help herself. "Idiot," she told him anyway.

"Maybe, but you'd be so bored without me around."

"Don't flatter yourself, Mariano." Paris rolled her eyes, but the smile was evident on her lips by now and was going nowhere fast. "So maybe it hasn't been the worst thing to have a friend in this place. Thank you, Jess," she said, her hand on his arm as they stopped walking.

"For what?" he asked, curious about her sudden gratitude - it wasn't very like Paris Geller to get serious or grateful like this.

"I don't know, being my substitute Rory?" she suggested. "I don't think I realised how much I was going to miss her until she wasn't around."

Jess nodded that he understood what she meant but never really got a chance to respond even if he wanted to.

"Hey, hands off my man, Geller!" said a voice.

Jess and Paris turned as one to gape at Rory as she walked towards them.

"You wanted to keep him, maybe you should've got here sooner," said Paris, not quite managing to keep a straight face. "Welcome back, Gilmore-Danes."

"It's good to be back." Rory smiled back, the two girls hovering awkwardly before finally giving in and sharing a hug. "How have you been, Paris?"

"Can't complain," she said as they parted. "Last final on a Saturday was kind of a pain, but it's done now. The summer beckons and when I get back here next year, at least all the right people will be present."

"Yes, they will." Rory grinned.

Paris left pretty quickly after that, her good instincts telling her that her presence was no longer really required.

The moment they were alone, Jess pulled Rory into his arms to kiss her hello.

"Not that I'm not happy you're here, but I thought we were meeting at your house for the whole end of Freshman year / Bon Voyage party thing that Lorelai is throwing?"

"We were," Rory agreed, looping her arm through his own as they headed for the car, "but I decided I needed a little alone time with you before that."

"You know I already brought all my stuff back to the Hollow, right? Mattress and all."

Rory scoffed. "So, not what I meant," she insisted. "Although, I have really, _really_ missed you," she said as they reached the car, putting her back against it and pulling Jess towards her.

It was nice to get lost in the moment for a while, though probably a good thing that someone honked their horn as they sped by a few minutes later, or Rory and Jess might've got a little too carried away for a public place.

"We could go back to the apartment," he told her breathlessly, checking his watch. "I don't think anyone's expecting us to be home too soon."

"Apartment is good." Rory nodded, claiming one last kiss before they both scrambled to get into the car and go.

Jess may have broken the speed limit just a little on the way back to Stars Hollow, but parking around the side of the diner and going in through the back door meant they weren't spotted, as far as they knew. Like Rory had said, they just needed a little alone time before they hit the party. They really had been apart too long.

* * *

"Seriously, what time do you call this?" asked Lorelai as she opened the door and ushered them inside.

"Um, 3.30?" said Jess, consulting his watch and showing it to Rory too.

"Yep, looks like 3.30 to me, maybe 3.31."

"Thank you, Smarty and Alec." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Everybody has been here over an hour already. I thought your last final got out around noon?"

"It did." Jess nodded.

"So, where have you been...? Oh," said Lorelai, the light apparently dawning in her head as she took in Rory's pink cheeks and Jess' smirk. "Forget I asked. I wish I hadn't," Lorelai declared, hands held up in mock surrender. "You're here now, it's all good."

Just as soon as she walked away and the rest of the party guests caught sight of Rory and Jess they pretty much all came running over to talk to them, hug them, and tell them how great they were. Everybody had missed Rory, from Will and Tuesday, to Babette and Maury who lived next door, and everyone in between.

"I gotta say, sugar, I wasn't exactly sorry when your mom told me you were transferring schools. Harvard was too far. I said to Maury, 'Our little Rory, she's just gone too far away. We never see her anymore!'"

"Darling, Stars Hollow just isn't the same without you. We finally get Jess and Lizzie back, plus little Tuesday of course, and you up and disappear on us," said Miss Patty, gesturing with her cigarette holder.

"Well, Harvard was great, but I happen to agree that this is where I belong," Rory smiled from her place practically glued to Jess' side. "I'm so happy that Yale said they'd take me for the next three years."

"Me too," he agreed, kissing her cheek.

"Aww, you're the cutest. Ain't they the cutest?"

"No offence, but nobody's as cute as me and Lulu," said Kirk seriously. "Rory, do you know if your mom has any more root beer?"

"I'm guessing it's in the kitchen, Kirk. Go help yourself."

The crowd around Rory and Jess seemed to disperse at last and she felt him sigh with relief beside her.

"Don't get me wrong, I do love this place, and I know you're glad to be back, but I will not hate escaping for a few weeks this summer."

Rory smiled at that. "And you're not exactly sad about the fact you get to see your dad either."

"Seeing Jimmy will be cool too." Jess shrugged like it was no big deal.

"You can be all Frank at the Sands if you want, but I know the truth," she insisted. "You'll be really happy to see him and know he's doing okay. It's been a long time."

"Longer for you," he considered. "You do know that he's probably still going to call you princess, right? Jimmy gets really stuck on his nicknames."

"Hey, I'm counting on it," Rory insisted. "I miss being a princess."

"Not something you hear said everyday," said Lane as she appeared in front of them, dragging Dave behind her. "You miss being a princess?" she checked with Rory.

"Long story," her friend insisted, before diving into conversation with her best friend about how things were going with each of them.

Jess took the opportunity to slip away and thought he was going to get away with adding a shot to his Coke when suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"You really thought nobody was watching, nephew?" said Luke, giving him a look when he turned around. "Go ahead, drink it, what do I care?" he said then, rolling his eyes. "I don't even want to know what you've been getting up to in that dorm at Yale, do I?"

"Maybe not." Jess shook his head, smirking hard. "Seriously though, first drink I've had today and I wasn't planning on having any more. This whole party atmosphere is just a little much."

"I hear you," Luke agreed, perching on the edge of the table and surveying the scene. "This is all Lorelai. She loves a good celebration. Comes with the territory when you marry into crazy."

"Because our side of the family is so sane." Jess rolled his eyes then sipped at his drink. "You know, when I came here last summer, I never saw things turning out this way. I mean, sure, I wanted to go to Yale, but I had no idea how it would work, plus Rory... I really did not see that coming."

Luke was smiling when Jess looked at him then, which came as a bit of a surprise. Before he could ask what had him so oddly cheerful, his uncle explained.

"These things take you by surprise," he explained, moving to grab a picture frame from the wall and showing it to Jess. "Twenty years ago now, I step out of your grandpa's hardware store to chase down your mom, who has gone running off in one of her snits. I grab this girl thinking it's her. She turns around and looks at me and... I don't know, it felt like somebody punched me right in the chest, just knocked all the air out of me. That one moment, changed my whole life," he explained, tapping the glass of the photoframe and bringing Jess' attention back to it.

"That was Lorelai," he said, staring at the young woman who looked so much like Rory in so many ways.

"Sixteen years old, already pregnant, soaked from the rain, and desperate for a friend." Luke nodded. "I had no idea then that this is where we were headed. I sure as hell never could have imagined that we'd end up married, raising Rory, having Will, then you coming back here, and Liz and Tuesday. It's crazy how things work out, but it's all gotta happen for a reason, right?"

"I guess so." Jess nodded, moving to put the picture back where it came from, eyes lingering on another framed photo to the right of it. "He was a real good guy, wasn't he?"

"Your Grandpa William?" said Luke with a smile. "Yeah, he was the best. You know, you remind me of him sometimes. A lot, actually."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Rory came looking for Jess then and Luke left them to it, dropping a kiss on Rory's head as he went by.

"Is he okay?"

"Sure, just getting nostalgic, that's all," said Jess, eyes still fixed on the pictures on the wall.

Rory followed his gaze to look at them too and smiled. "That's our crazy family."

"Yep," Jess agreed, his arm around her. "But would we really want them any other way?"

"No," said Rory definitely, kissing his cheek. "I like things just exactly the way they are."

The End


End file.
